One of Pakistan's most distinguished writers, Intizar Husain was born in India in 1923 and immigrated to Pakistan during the Partition. An internationally acclaimed writer, critic, and translator, he has published seven volumes of short stories, four novels, and a novella, as well as travelogues, memoirs, and critical essays. Despite his importance to world literature for over six decades, Husain's writing is little known in English translation. Story Is a Vagabond is the first collection in English to show the breadth of his thoughtful, innovative, and compassionate work.

Intizar Husain's numerous honors include the Yatra Award (HarperCollins, India), Pride of Performance (Government of Pakistan), Kamal-i-Fun Award (Government of Pakistan), Adabi Award (Anjuman-i-Farogh-i-Urdu, India), ARY Gold Award, Pakistan's Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lahore Literary Festival, and France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2013, he was short-listed for the prestigious Man Book Prize in Fiction.