Manuel Vázquez Montalbán

Manuel Vázquez Montalbán(14 June 1939–18 October 2003) was a prolific Spanish writer fromBarcelona: journalist, novelist, poet, essayist,anthologue,prologist, humorist, critic and political prisoner as well as agastronomeand anFC Barcelonasupporter.
Vázquez Montalbán was born inBarcelonaon 14 June 1939. His parents did not register his birth until 27 July; many sources show 27 July or 14 July as his birth date.He studied philosophy at theAutonomous University of Barcelonaand was also a member of theUnified Socialist Party of Catalonia. He spent 18 months in prison after participating in a 1962 miner's strike.
He began writing poetry in 1967.  He is one of theNovísimosfrom Jose María Castellet. His poetic works until 1986 are collected inMemoria y deseo("Memory and desire").
The same characteristic features of his poetry appear in his novels.Los mares del Sur, part of the Pepe Carvalho series, won the Planeta Award in 1979, bringing fame for both the writer and the fictional detective, who would later be portrayed in films, TV series and comic strips. In 1988, he wrote and published a children's book called,Escenas de la Literatura Universal y Retratos de Grandes Autores(English version as "Scenes from World Literature and Portraits of Greatest Authors"), which is illustrated byWilli Glasauer, and published by Círculo de Lectores. This children's book includes fun facts, trivia, and information accompanied by photos andWilli Glasauer's illustrations of the likes ofRamón del Valle-Inclán,Gabriel García Márquez,Hermann Hesse,Agatha Christie,Federico García Lorca,William Shakespeare,Samuel Beckett,Günter Grass,Marguerite Duras,Miguel de Cervantes,Elias Canetti,Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,Albert Camus,Jonathan Swift,Virginia Woolf,Franz Kafka,Doris Lessing,Vladimir Nabokov,Jorge Luis Borges,James Joyce,Jean-Paul Sartre,Thomas Mann,William Faulkner, andErnest Hemingway.
Other narrative works include narrative productionsGalíndez(1991), winner of the National Narrative Award;El estrangulador(The strangler) (1994) andErec y Enide(Erec and Enide) (2002). In 1992 he publishedAutobiografía del general Franco, which was awarded the 1994 international prizePremio Internacional de Literatura Ennio Flaiano. He also wrote non-literary works in Catalan, notablyL'art del menjar a Catalunya(1977).
For many years, he contributed columns and articles to theMadrid-based daily newspaperEl País.
In 1974, he wrote the libretto forSalvador Dalí's opera-poemÊtre Dieu (To Be God), with music by French avant-garde composerIgor Wakhévitch.
He died inBangkok,Thailand, while returning to his home country from a speaking tour of Australia. His last book,La aznaridad, was published posthumously.
The first novel featuring the 50-year-old gastronome-detectivePepe CarvalhoisYo maté a Kennedy(I killed Kennedy) in 1972, followed byTatuaje(Tattoo) in 1975 andLa soledad del manager(The Angst-Ridden Executive) in 1977.
The rest of thePepe Carvalhosaga is as follows:
Vázquez Montalbán was also a gastronome. Gastronomical references can be found in all the novels of the Pepe Carvalho series, which include some recipes such as the "ricetagliatellefideuà" that Carvalho prepares inLos pájaros de Bangkok. He displays all his gastronomic knowledge, with erudition and humility, inContra los Gourmets(AgainstGourmets), an initiation in the world of gastronomy.Contra los Gourmetsconcentrates onSpanish cuisine, but covers international cuisine, traditional cuisine andnouvelle cuisine. He also considers eating fashions such as "healthy food" and "light products".  Other gastronomic works by Montalbán areL'art del menjar a Catalunya(Cocina Catalana),Recetas inmorales(Immoral recipes) andReflexiones de Robinsón ante un bacalao.
He wrote essays about journalism, politics, sociology, sports, history, cuisine, biographies, literature and music.His first essay,Informe sobre la Información(Report about Information) (1963) is still one of the best studies on journalism ever published in Spain.Some of his other works are:
To commemorate him, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the Catalan College of Journalists have awarded the Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Journalism Award since 2004.The award includes two categories:
Also, the Italian writerAndrea Camillericalled his main characterSalvo Montalbanoin honour of him.