Javier Marias Spanish writer, translator and journalist. Date of Birth: 20.09.1951 Country: Spain

Biography of Javier Marias

Javier Marias is a Spanish writer, translator, and journalist. He spent part of his childhood in the United States, where his father, philosopher Julian Marias, worked at several American educational institutions such as Yale University and Wellesley College. Javier Marias received his education in Madrid.

Growing up in a family with a strong political background, Marias' father was once imprisoned and permanently banned from teaching for opposing the Franco regime. Marias began his literary career at a young age by translating his uncle, film director Jesus Franco's screenplay for "Dracula." He started writing seriously as a teenager and had his first published short story, "The Life and Death of Marcelino Iturriaga," included in the anthology "While the Women are Sleeping" when he was only 14 years old.

At the age of 17, Marias wrote his first novel, "Los dominios del lobo," shortly after fleeing to Paris. His second novel, "Travesía del horizonte," was inspired by the adventures of an Antarctic expedition. After completing his university studies, Marias began translating English literature into Spanish. He translated works by authors such as John Updike, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, Vladimir Nabokov, William Faulkner, Rudyard Kipling, Henry James, Robert Louis Stevenson, Thomas Browne, and William Shakespeare. His translation of Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy" earned him the Spanish National Award for Translation in 1979.

From 1983 to 1985, Marias taught Spanish literature and translation at the University of Oxford. In 1986, he published his book "El hombre sentimental," followed by "Todas las almas" in 1988, which was set in Oxford. The book was later adapted into the film "El último viaje de Robert Rylands" by Spanish film director Gracia Querejeta. His novel "Corazón tan blanco," published in 1992, became a bestseller and received critical acclaim. The English version of the book, translated by Margaret Jull Costa, won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1997.

It is interesting to note that all of Marias' books written after 1986 have protagonists connected to the field of translation. His experience working and teaching in Oxford greatly influenced his professional development. According to Marias, all the characters in his books have had to "give up their own voices" in the course of their work.

In 2002, Marias began his ambitious trilogy, "Tu rostro mañana," with the publication of its first volume, "Fiebre y lanza." The second volume, "Baile y sueño," was released in 2004, and the trilogy was concluded with "Veneno y sombra y adiós" in 2007. Marias also owns a small publishing house called "Reino de Redonda."

In addition to his publishing and literary work, Marias writes a column for "El Pais." The English version of his column is published monthly in "The Believer" magazine. In 2006, Javier Marias was elected to the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española).