Juan Marsé

Juan Marsé (January 8, 1933 - July 19, 2020), one of the most prominent authors in contemporary Spanish literature, was born in Barcelona in 1933. He worked in a jewelry workshop until he was twenty-six and published his first novel, "Encerrados con un solo juguete," in 1960. His works, which have been translated into nineteen languages to date, include "Esta cara un luna," "Ultimas Tardes con Teresa" (Biblioteca Breve Award, 1965), where he first introduces the real and moral panorama of post-war Barcelona, which forms the narrative universe of all his subsequent books, "La oscura historia de la prima Montse," "Si te dicen que caí," his first major work of maturity, initially published in Mexico and banned in Spain by Francoist censorship, "La muchacha de las bragas de oro" (Planeta Award 1978), "Un día volveré," "Ronda del Guinardó" (City of Barcelona Award 1985), "El amante bilingüe," and "El Embrujo de Shangai" ("The Shanghai Spell," National Critics Award 1994), as well as numerous collections of short stories and articles. For "The Lizard's Tail," he was honored for the second time with the National Critics Award and also received the National Literature Award, thus simultaneously earning the two highest literary distinctions awarded in Spain.