Manuel Vázquez Montalbán
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Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (Barcelona, July 27, 1939 - Bangkok, October 18, 2003) was a prolific Spanish writer: journalist, novelist, poet, essayist, anthologue, prologist, humourist, critic, as well as a gastronome and an F.C.Barcelona fan. He studied Philosophy at Universidad Autonómica de Barcelona and was also a member of the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia. For many years, he contributed columns and articles to the Madrid-based daily newspaper El País. He died in Bangkok, Thailand, while returning to his home country from a speaking tour of Australia. His last book, La aznaridad, was published posthumously. [1]
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[edit] The poet
He starts as a poet in 1967 (he is one of the Novísimos from Jose María Castellet) and his production is characterized by:
- The recreational sense
- The irony
- A critic and testimonial load.
His poetic works until 1986 are collected in Memoria y deseo (Memory and desire).
[edit] The novelist
The same characteristic features of his poetry appear in his novels. His narrative production, apart from the renowned Pepe Carvalho series, includes Galíndez (1991), winner of the National Narrative Award; El estrangulador (The strangler) (1994) and Erec y Enide (Erec and Enide) (2002).
[edit] Carvalho Series
The first novel marking the appearance of the fifty-year-old gastronome detective Pepe Carvalho is Yo maté a Kennedy (I killed Kennedy) in 1972, followed by Tatuaje (Tattoo) in 1975 and La soledad del manager (The manager's loneliness) in 1977.
Los Mares del Sur (The South Seas) won the Planeta Award in 1979, bringing fame for both the writer and the character, who would later be portrayed in films, TV series and comic strips. The saga is as follows:
- Asesinato en el Comité Central (Murder in the Central Committee) 1981
- Los pájaros de Bangkok (The birds of Bangkok) 1983
- La rosa de Alejandría (Alexandria's Rose) 1984
- El balneario (The spa) 1986
- El delantero centro fue asesinado al atardecer 1989
- El laberinto griego (The Greek labyrinth) 1991
- Sabotaje olímpico (Olympic Sabotage) 1993
- El hermano pequeño (The Little Brother) 1994
- El Premio (The prize) 1996
- Quinteto de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Quintet) 1997
- El hombre de mi vida (The man of my life) 2000
- Milenio Carvalho (Carvalho Millennium) 2004, edited in two parts.
[edit] The gastronome
Vázquez Montalbán was also a gastronome. In all the novels of the Pepe Carvalho series, gastronomical references can be found, with some unforgettable recipes like the "rice tagliatelle fideuà" that Carvalho prepares in Los pájaros de Bangkok. But where he displays all his gastronomic knowledge, with erudition and humility, is in Contra los Gourmets (Against Gourmets), an initiation in the world of gastronomy, where he covers all the food and all the cuisines in the world. He talks about Spanish cuisine, but also about international cuisine, traditional cuisine and nouvelle cuisine. He even considers eating fashions such as "healthy food" and "light products". Other gastronomic works by Montalbán are Cocina Catalana (Catalan Cuisine) and Recetas inmorales (Immoral recipes).
[edit] The essayist
He wrote essays about journalism, politics, sociology, sports, history, cuisine, biographies, literature or 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:
- Crónica sentimental de España (Sentimental Chronicle of Spain), 1971
- Joan Manuel Serrat, 1972
- El libro gris de Televisión Española (The Grey TV Book), 1973
- Diccionario del Franquismo, (Dictionary of the Franco times) 1977
- Panfleto desde el planeta de los simios (Pamphlet from the Planet of the Apes), 1995
- Un polaco en la corte del rey Juan Carlos (A Pole in the Court of King Juan Carlos), 1996, an analysis of the political life in Madrid, in the last years of Felipe González's government.
- Y Dios entró en La Habana (And God entered La Habana), 1998, about Cuba, Fidel Castro and the visit of the Pope John Paul II.
- Marcos: el señor de los espejos (Marcos: the Lord of the Mirrors), 1999.
[edit] Awards in his name
To commemorate him, the Colegio de Periodistas de Cataluńa has awarded the Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Journalism Award since 2004. The award in two categories:
- Sport Journalism.
- Cultural and/or Political Journalism.
[edit] Books that are confirmed as available in English
- Tattoo (Tatuaje) 1975
- The Angst-Ridden Executive (La soledad del manager) 1977
- Southern Seas (Los Mares del Sur) 1979
- Murder in the Central Committee (Asesinato en el Comité Central) 1981
- Offside" (El delantero centro fue asesinado al atardecer) 1989
- An Olympic Death (Sabotaje olímpico) 1993
- The Buenos Aires Quintet (Quinteto de Buenos Aires) 1997
