| Arturo Pérez-Reverte | |
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| Born | Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez 25 November 1951 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain |
| Occupation | Journalist, novelist |
| Language | Spanish |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Genres | Historical novel |
| Notable work(s) | The adventures of Captain Alatriste |
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Influences
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www.perezreverte.com |
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Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez (born 25 November 1951) is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for twenty-one years (1973 – 1994). His first novel, El húsar, set in the Napoleonic Wars, was released in 1986. He is well known outside Spain for his "Alatriste" series of novels. He is now a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, a position he has held since 12 June 2003.
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Pérez-Reverte's novels are usually centered on one strongly defined character (male or female), and exhibit the author's Hemingway-like ability to build layers of complexity around each person. His plots move along swiftly, and the writer often employs the services of a narrator who is somehow a part of the story but apart from it.
The majority of action usually takes place in Spain or around the Mediterranean, and often draws on numerous references to Spanish history, colonial past, art and culture, ancient treasures and the sea. The novels frequently deal with some of the major issues of modern times such as drug trafficking or the relationship of religion and politics.
In his columns and his main characters, he usually displays a pessimism about human behaviour, shaped by his wartime experiences in places like El Salvador, Croatia or Bosnia[1] and his research for crime shows.
He originally refused to have his novels translated from the original Spanish to any language other than French. However, English translations were eventually made available for some of his works. Most of his work is also available in Portuguese.
His books have been translated into Turkish: The Flanders Panel (Flaman Tablosu), the Captain Alatriste series (Komutan Alatriste, Güney'in Kraliçesi, Saflığın Çekiciliği), The Club Dumas (Dumas Kulübü), The King's Gold and others.
Throughout his career, and especially in its latter half, he has been notorious for cultivating his now trademark maverick, non-partisan and at times abrasive persona. This has occasionally been a source of conflict with more sectarian journalists and writers.[2]
Pérez-Reverte was born in Cartagena, Spain. He started his journalistic career writing for the now-defunct newspaper Pueblo and then for Televisión Española (the Spanish state-owned television), often as a war correspondent. Becoming weary of the internal affairs at TVE, he resigned as a journalist and decided to work full time as a writer.
His teenage daughter Carlota was billed as a co-author of his first Alatriste novel. He lives between La Navata (near Madrid) and his native Cartagena, from where he enjoys sailing solo in the Mediterranean. He is a friend of Javier Marías, who presented Pérez-Reverte with the title of Duke of Corso of the Kingdom of Redonda micronation.