- Arturo Pérez-Reverte
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This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Pérez-Reverte and the second or maternal family name is Gutiérrez.
Arturo Pérez-Reverte 
Born Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez
November 25, 1951
Cartagena, Murcia, SpainOccupation Journalist, novelist Language Spanish Nationality Spanish Genres Historical novel Notable work(s) The adventures of Captain Alatriste
Influences
perezreverte.comArturo 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.
Contents
Style
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]
Personal life
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 with the title of Duke of Corso of the Kingdom of Redonda micronation.
Bibliography
Captain Alatriste novels
- El capitán Alatriste (1996; tr: Captain Alatriste), presenting the character of a swordsman in the Spanish Golden Century.
- Limpieza de sangre (1997; tr: Purity of Blood), about the "purity of blood" demanded from Conversos.
- El sol de Breda (1998; tr: The Sun over Breda), about the war in the Spanish Netherlands - specifically, the Siege of Breda (1624).
- El oro del rey (2000; tr: The King's Gold), about the Spanish treasure fleet.
- El caballero del jubón amarillo (2003; tr: The Man in the Yellow Doublet). Alatriste clashes with king Philip IV of Spain.
- Corsarios de Levante (2006). Alatriste fights Barbary pirates.
- El puente de los Asesinos (2011). Alatriste trys to kill the Doge of Venice.
Other novels
- El húsar (1986). Set in the Napoleonic age.
- El maestro de esgrima (1988; tr: The Fencing Master). A lady requests lessons from a fencing master.
- La tabla de Flandes (1990; tr: The Flanders Panel). About a mysterious Flemish painting.
- El club Dumas or La sombra de Richelieu (1993; tr: The Club Dumas). A Cult of followers of the novels of Alexandre Dumas.
- La sombra del águila (1993). Set in the Napoleonic age.
- Territorio comanche (1994). A novelization of his Balkan war experience.
- La piel del tambor (1995; tr: The Seville Communion)
- Un asunto de honor (1995)
- La carta esférica (2000; tr: The Nautical Chart). Treasure hunting.
- La Reina del Sur (2002; tr: The Queen of the South). Story of a Mexican woman who becomes a leader of a drug trafficking gang in the south of Spain.
- Cabo Trafalgar (2004; tr: Cape Trafalgar), about the battle of Trafalgar.
- El pintor de batallas (2006; tr: The Painter of Battles). A retired war photographer confronts his past.
- Un día de cólera (2007). 2 May 1808. The battle in Madrid against the French army for independence, hour to hour.
- Ojos azules (2009). Spanish soldiers flee the Aztecs.
- El Asedio (2009). Set in 1811, during the siege of Cádiz.
Non-fiction
- Obra breve (1995)
- Patente de corso (1998). Collection of press columns.
- Con ánimo de ofender (2001). Further columns.
- No me cogeréis vivo (2005)
- Cuando éramos honrados mercenarios (2009)
Films based on novels by Pérez-Reverte
- El maestro de esgrima (1992) (based on The Fencing Master)
- Uncovered (1994) (based on The Flanders Panel)
- Cachito (1995) (based on Un Asunto de Honor)
- Territorio Comanche (1997)
- The Ninth Gate, by Roman Polanski (1999) (very loosely based on El club Dumas)
- The Road to Santiago (1999), Spanish television miniseries (story)
- Alatriste (2006) (based on the series Captain Alatriste)
- The Nautical Chart (2007) (based on La Carta Esférica and starring Aitana Sánchez-Gijón)
- Quart: El Hombre de Roma (2007), Spanish television miniseries based on The Seville Communion
- La Reina Del Sur (2011), Spanish Novela (Soap Opera) airing on Telemundo
See also
- Captain Alatriste (the books)
- Alatriste (the film)
References
External links
- Twitter Page
- Official Website
- Official Website (in Spanish)
- iCorso (in Spanish)
- La WEB de Filemón sobre Arturo Pérez-Reverte (in Spanish)
- capitan-alatriste.com, fan site with an English language section
Categories:- 1951 births
- Living people
- People from Cartagena
- Members of the Royal Spanish Academy
- Spanish journalists
- Spanish reporters and correspondents
- Spanish writers
- Spanish novelists
- Spanish television presenters
- Spanish historical novelists
- Travel writers
- Spanish war correspondents
- Writers of historical novels set in Early Modern period
- Writers of historical fiction set in Modern Age
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