(Barcelona, 1939, Bangkok, Thailand, 2003)
Novelist, essayist, poet and journalist. Graduated in Philosophy and Letters from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. Considered one of the most important testimonies of the end of Francoism and the so-called “Spanish transition”, he became one of the most respected critical voices in the country. A member of the National Liberation Front, he was sentenced to three years in prison, serving one and a half, for his anti-Franco activities. He wrote his first essay when he was in prison. Later he would belong to the PSUC. Upon leaving prison, Montalbán began his journalistic career in the magazine Triunfo and, over time, combined it with his literary career. He collaborated with Siglo XX, Tele/Xprés and Por Favor, and later did so with El País, Avui and Interviú. As a poet, he was included in the renowned anthology Nine Newest Spanish Poets, compiled by Josep Maria Castellet. It became very popular due to the series of detective novels starring Pepe Carvalho, including The Solitude of the Manager, The South Seas, Murder in the Central Committee and many others. An immeasurable personality, he is the author of a huge number of works and a large number of unclassifiable experimental texts. All his works are characterized by a devastating vision of social reality. His non-fiction works include Report on Information, Sentimental Chronicle of Spain, Pamphlet from the Planet of the Apes or those dedicated to a great passion, Football, and another, gastronomy, Against Gourmets. He also published excellent novels, including Autobiografía del general Franco (Ennio Flaiano International Literature Prize) and the two that were most acclaimed, Galíndez (National Fiction Prize, European Literature Prize and Euskadi Silver Prize) and El pianista.
He presented the conference From the great inquisitor to the great consumer in the Banquete_03 conference cycle metabolism and communication, a text on communication and information and relations of inequality.
banquet_metabolism and communication