Arturo Pérez-Reverte, born in Cartagena, is a Spanish novelist and journalist best known for his historical novels and the successful "Alatriste" series. Over the years, his works have gained international recognition and translated into more than 40 languages.
Notable books include El Club Dumas (1993) and La Reina del Sur (2002), while his series Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste (1996–2011) has been widely acclaimed. In 2003, he was elected to the Royal Spanish Academy.
Before concentrating on writing full-time, Pérez-Reverte had a 21-year career (1973–1994) as a war correspondent. He covered conflicts worldwide, from the wars in Cyprus, Lebanon and the Falklands to the crises in El Salvador and Bosnia. During this time, he worked for Pueblo for twelve years and then for Televisión Española (TVE) for nine years, specialising in armed conflict.
His experiences on the front line informed much of his later literary work, notably Territorio Comanche (1994), in which he recounts his time as a reporter. Reflecting on his experiences, Pérez-Reverte said: "War is always the same: people die and the rest watch".
In 1986, Pérez-Reverte published his first novel, El húsar, set during the Napoleonic Wars. It began a prolific literary career, with subsequent works such as El Maestro de Esgrima (1988) and La Tabla de Flandes (1990) establishing his name in the literary world. However, it was the publication of El capitán Alatriste in 1996 that catapulted him to international fame.
This first instalment of the Alatriste series introduced readers to Diego Alatriste, a former soldier trying to navigate life in 17th-century Spain. Alatriste continued with seven more novels and became one of Spain's most successful literary series. Pérez-Reverte remarked, "Alatriste is not just a character; he represents a timeless hero, flawed but resilient."
In 2016, Pérez-Reverte introduced another memorable character, Lorenzo Falcó, in the first of the Falcó trilogy, followed by Eva (2017) and Sabotaje (2018). These works continued his exploration of complex, morally ambiguous protagonists operating in historical settings.
Pérez-Reverte's contributions to Spanish literature have been recognised with several prestigious awards. In addition to his election to the Royal Spanish Academy, he received the Premio Gregor von Rezzori for his novel El pintor de Batallas (2006).
Since 2016, he has also been co-founder and editor of the literary website Zenda.
Photo credit: www.perezreverte.com
