Manuel Vicent, writer and journalist, was born in La Vilavella, Castellón, Spain, in 1936.
After graduating in Law and Philosophy from the University of Valencia, he studied Journalism at the Official School of Journalism in Madrid.
He started his career as a journalist in the magazine Triunfo and as a political columnist in the daily newspaper at the time, Madrid. During the transition to democracy, which saw the founding of El País, he starting working there, again, as a political columnist. He remains an active and regular contributor to El País to this day.
He also combines his journalistic and literary work with running an art gallery.
His literary work comprises novels, plays, short stories, biographies, travel books, food writing and interviews, not forgetting of course his articles written for the press.
Twice during his career he has been the recipient of the Alfaguara Novel Award, in 1966 with Pascuas y Naranjas, and in 1999 with Son de Mar. He was also a Nadal award runner-up for two years running: in 1978 with El anarquista coronado de adelfas and in 1979 with the novel Ángeles o neófitos. In 1986 he was winner of the Nadal Award for Balada de Caín.
His novels Tranvía a la Malvarrosa and Son de mar have both been adapted for the screen by José Luis García Sánchez and Bigas Lunas respectively.
Other note-worthy titles in his collection are Jardín de Villa Valeria (1996) — which features together with Contra Paraíso in the volumen Otros días, otros juegos (2002), Los mejores relatos (1997), Las horas paganas (1998), La novia de Matisse (2000), Cuerpos sucesivos (2003), Verás el cielo abierto (2005), Viajes, fábulas y otras travesías (2006), Comer y beber a mi manera (2006), León de ojos verdes (2008) and Póquer de ases (2009).
His most recent novel, Aguirre el magnífico, published in 2011 by Alfaguara, narrates, with his customary acerbic wit, the life of Jesús Aguirre, the controversial Duke of Alba, “the last of the characters to have escaped from de Valle-Inclán’s court of miracles”. In his rhetorical deforming mirror (mirroring Ramón de Valle-Inclán’s Luces de Bohemia) he reflects half a century of Spain’s recent history.
N.º 633. Noticias destacadas
