JUAN ANTONIO CEBRIÁN

Juan Antonio Cebrián was a Spanish journalist, novelist and radio show host who left a mark on many people's lives , including mine. Unfortunately, he passed away seven months ago, but he left behind a great number of masterpieces. He devoted himself, body and mind, to his passion in life: history and culture in general, resulting in his fourteen books and three radio programs. Although I was not lucky enough to follow Juan Antonio Cebrián throughout his whole career, I am thankful for having found La Rosa de Los Vientos, a radio program directed by him, and where current affairs and mystery are discussed without censorship.

Cebrián was definitely a role model. Despite being blind, he never stopped enjoying life and learning about it. His passion and curiosity were such that listening to him on the radio in the middle of the night made you want to get up and start reading books. He was a culture vulture and his enthusiasm was contagious! He was a twenty-first century knight who defended the environment and talked about real heroes. In one of the sections of his program, Pasajes de la Historia, he narrated the lives of famous people, and he did it without reading any papers. He had everything in his mind. I recall the first time I listened to him on the radio; he was narrating Alejandro Magno's life, one of my favourite historical characters. Cebrián's voice took people to the past without any effort, making history much more interesting than when studied at school. He proved that the toughest theme can be interesting and fun, it only depends on how you deal with it.

La Rosa de los Vientos is still influencing many people due to the great work carried out by Cebrián 's co-workers: Jesús Callejo, Carlos Canales and Bruno Cardeñosa. Together they formed “the 4 Cs” team (because their surnames start with C). Every single one is unique, and when they join together they form a veritable fountain of wisdom: books, the Ancient Egypt, astronomy...there is nothing out of their reach.

Podéis disfrutar de este maravilloso programa y de la obra radiofónica de Cebrián en:


http://www.rosavientospodcast.com/podcast/temporada/actual

ARTURO PÉREZ REVERTE

ENGLISH

I would like to start this blog with one of my favourite Spanish writers, Arturo Pérez Reverte. He cought my eye when reading his articles in El Semanal, a well-known Spanish magazine. He gave (and still gives) his opinion about anything, from current affairs to anecdotes he has on his daily life, and he does it in a witty and entertaining way. Every time I read one of his articles he transmits me the passion for reading and knowing more about the world. He is a learned man with a great gift; his words flow quite naturally.


Among succesful Spanish authors Reverte is perhaps the one with a more thrilling biography. Born in Cartagena in 1951, after he graduated in Journalism and Politics Science he became a war correspondent, a job he had for 21 years. Since 1991 he has been writing articles for El Semanal, which has earned him the reputation of being an outspoken and witty man. In 1994 he gave up his career as a reporter to devote himself exclusively to writing. Since 2003 he belongs to the Spanish Royal Academy.


Many of his novels have been adapted for the screen with great success:The Fencing Master, The Flanders Panel and The Club Dumas (The Ninth Door) , directed by Roman Polanski. However, Reverte´s most notorious hit has been Captain Alatriste book series, set in the 17th century, the Spanish Golden Age, and which was adapted into cinema, with Viggo Mortensen as lead actor.

What is fascinating about Reverte´s novels is that besides being entertaining, they are also didactic. The historical accuracy that is portrayed in his novels is the result of his eagerness to read since very lilltle. Therefore, this great author is also a great historian who knows how to mix fiction and reality to create masterpieces. Reverte´s work is really worth reading and it will leave no one indifferernt.

ESPAÑOL

Me gustaría empezar este blog con uno de mis autores españoles favoritos, Arturo Pérez Reverte. Me llamó la atención al leer sus artículos en El Semanal, una conocida revista española. Reverte daba (y todavía da) su opinión sobre cualquier cosa, desde sucesos de actualidad hasta anécdotas que le suceden en su día a día, y lo hace de una manera ingeniosa y divertida. Cada vez que leo uno de sus artículos me transmite la pasión por la lectura y el conocer más cosas del mundo. Es un hombre muy culto con un gran don, puesto que las palabras le salen de forma natural.

Entre los escritores españoles con éxito Reverte es quizás el que tenga una biografía más emocionante. Nació en Cartagena en 1951 y tras graduarse en Periodismo y Ciencias Políticas fue reportero de guerra durante 21 años. Desde 1991 ha estado escribiendo artículos para El Semanal, con lo que se ha ganado la fama de no tener pelos en la lengua y de ser ingenioso. En 1994 abandonó su carrera como reportero y se dedicó exclusivamente a escribir. Desde 2003 pertenece a la Real Academia de la Lengua.

Muchas de sus novelas han sido adaptadas al cine con gran éxito: El Maestro de Esgrima, La Tabla de Flandes o El Club Dumas (La Novena Puerta), dirigido por Roman Polanski. Sin embargo, el éxito más notorio de Reverte han sido los libros de El Capitán Alatriste, ambientados en el siglo XVII Siglo Dorado español, que fueron adaptados al cine en una película, con Viggo Mortensen como actor principal.

Lo que es fascinante de las novelas de Reverte es que además de entretener son también didácticas. La precisión histórica que se encuentra en sus novelas es el resultado de su pasión por la lectura desde que era pequeño. Por lo tanto, este gran escritor es además un gran historiador que sabe como mezclar ficción con realidad para crear obras maestras. Merece la pene leer la obra de Reverte, no dejará a nadie indiferente.