Arturo Perez-Reverte Books In Order

Publication Order of Captain Alatriste Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Arturo Perez-Reverte is a Spanish author famous for works such as El Husar and Captain Alatriste series of novels. In addition to being a novelist he also does a substantial amount of journalism too. Initially, he worked for RTVE, covering conflicts and wars. Arturo Perez has been a member of the prestigious Real Academia Espanola since the year 2003.

Arturo Perez was born in Cartagena, in a region of Spain known as Murcia, in 1951. He studied Journalism to the degree level. He studied Political Science too. From 1973 to 1994 he worked as a war correspondent. His career as a Journalist started when he worked for a daily publication known as ‘El Pueblo’ where he worked for 12 years. In 1977, he and his friend, Vincente Talon, set up a magazine they named ‘Defensa’ which commenced selling the following year. Perez was the main editor of the magazine until the high demands of his job as a reporter forced him to leave the post. After his stretch with ‘El Pueblo’ he joined the Spanish National media company popularly known as RTVE. At RTVE, he worked until 1994, a period of 9 years.

In the early 1990s Arturo worked for a radio station belonging to the national channel, hosting a program which was popularly known as La ley de la calle. This was a late night show which was later cancelled by the head of RTVE. Arturo then started another controversial show Codigo Uno which entailed news of crime cases which were so prevalent. He later left the show terming its content as rubbish while in Pamplona in 1993. Subsequently, he started to revive his Journalistic career as a war correspondent. However this did not augur well due to accusations of filing false bills for his expenses while away reporting in war stricken areas. This resulted to his resignation from TVE. He refuted the false bills accusations and from that point onwards, he exclusively dedicated his work to literature.

His major milestones as a war correspondent include reporting on a number of conflicts areas such as Chad, El Salvador, Sahara, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Bosnia, among many others. Among all the conflicts that he reported, the 1977 war in Eritrea, East Africa affected him most. At some point, while reporting in Eritrea, he disappeared for several months hiding with his friends in the guerrilla army. For that duration he was forced to learn how to defend himself with weapons.

Arturo Perez’s first novel which he published in 1986 was known as El Husar. He wrote this novel without any strong desire to dedicate himself to writing literature at that time. It was published by a company with which he did not maintain good relations. It took him about 20 years to recover his publication rights with that company. The story is centered on the realities and misconceptions of war. The main character is full of noble ideas about war. He always harbored these ideas since his days at the military academy. The true reality of war dawns on him in his first war. He learns that the reality of war is much more different than what he always imagined. Thinking that he was going to win in the battlefield, all he finds is tired irrelevance. The book is so captivating and the end is the most engrossing part. This novel was a huge success which prompted Arturo to write El Capitan Alatriste in 1996. This is the fictional story of a 17th century Spanish soldier who could be hired for a price. In this story Alatriste and another person are hired to rob two travelers. They are instructed not to shed blood. Another trader comes into the picture. He increases their pay, and instead instructs Alatriste to murder the two travelers. When Alatriste sets about to carrying out his mission, he realizes that those were not ordinary travelers and what follows next is a series of twists and turns whose repercussions are felt throughout Europe. The narrator of the story is one Inigo, son to one of Alatriste’s friends who died while in action fighting alongside Alatriste. Inigo was sent to Madrid to work for Alatriste by his poor mother. Apparently, Inigo’s mother did not know how the captain earned his living. This series later became a bestseller and converted Perez into a writer who is highly recommended to those who have passion in history by teachers in schools worldwide. According to Arturo, he chose a character who was able to convey a very pivotal moment in the history of Spain while still relating on the present day Spain.

Up to now Arturo Perez-Reverte has 20 books to his name in addition to various collections of literature articles. Some of his novels such as El Maestro de esgrima, La tabla de Flandes and El club Dumas have been turned into movies. In 2006 Alatriste premiered as a movie.

Among his notable achievements is an admission to the Real Academia Espanola to occupy a seat which was previously occupied by Manuel Alvar, a former Spanish philosopher. In February 2004, he was given an honorary degree by the Polytechnic University Cartagena.

Arturo Perez writes his novels in a style which includes a strong main character who possesses various complex layers. The plots are fast-paced, enhanced by a narrator who is somehow related to the story. The setting of his novels is in Spain, the Mediterranean and mostly refer to the history, culture, and art of nations colonized by Spain. They also incorporate elements of politics, religion, and drug trade all of which are found in modern day society. His main characters tend to relay pessimism concerning the condition of human beings and their tendencies. His research on crimes, experiences on battlefields and conflicts all across the globe seems to shape his viewpoint. Recently in his works of literature he has been accused of adopting a more abrasive and brush tone which has become a bond of contention between him and other authors. Previously, Arturo Perez-Reverte refused to have his books translated to other languages apart from French. Now his works can be found in many other languages including English, Turkish and Portuguese.

3 Responses to “Arturo Perez-Reverte”

1. Terry: 2 years ago

   Has “Line of Fire” been printed in English yet?

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     It doesn’t look like it.

     Reply
2. Greene, A.: 2 years ago

   I have many Perez-Reverte books in ENGLISH.
   Since 2010, are any NEW ENGLISH BOOKS of PEREZ-REVERTE been PUBLISHED in ENGLISH?
   What has he written for ADULTS since 2010?
   Have some been translated and published in FRENCH?
   I live in 2 European countries. I am a translator; I read fastest in English, then French.
   Thank you very much.
   From the start I found “The Fencing Master” his greatest masterpiece/ chef d’oeuvre. Then “The Flander Panel” with the chess game. The Napoleonic war in Cadiz novel is exceptional. Etc.
   Yours sincerely,
   A. Greene

   Reply