francisco massiani (2 april 1944 – 1 april 2019) was a venezuelan writer and painter. his first novel, "piedra de mar", has been a bestseller since it first came out in 1968. the book is a coming-of-age story about a middle class teenager in caracas. he published many short stories and poetry collections. in 2012, he won the national prize for literature. massiani was born in caracas.