Since Mentor, Telemachus' advisor in Homer's Odyssey, gave name to the figure of the wise teacher, fictional representations of mentoring have permeated classic and contemporary cultural texts of different literary genres such as fiction, poetry, and life writing. The contributions of this volume explore wisdom in old age through a series of narratives of mentorship which, either from a critical or a personal perspective, undermine ageist views of later life.

Núria Casado-Gual, born in 1975, teaches English theatre and literature at the University of Lleida in Catalonia. As a member of the Department of English and Linguistics and as project leader of the research group Dedal-Lit, she leads two research projects on ageing, creativity, and the quality of life. Besides her research in literary gerontology, she develops pedagogical and creative projects within the field of theatre studies, which she also explores as a playwright and actress. Emma Domínguez-Rué (PhD), born in 1976, teaches in the Department of English at the University of Lleida in Catalonia. She has worked not only on ageing studies but also within the American studies and on narratives of disease, contemporary detective fiction, and Victorian and Gothic fiction from a feminist perspective. Maricel OróPiqueras, born in 1977, is a member of the research group DedalLit and teaches literature, culture, and English language at the University of Lleida in Catalonia. Her research focuses on British contemporary writers such as Julian Barnes, Deborah Moggach and Kazuo Ishiguro. She has published articles in journals such as the "Journal of Aging Studies" and the "Journal of English Studies".