José María Guelbenzu

José María Guelbenzu Fernández (; 14 April 1944 – 18 July 2025), also known as J.M. Guelbenzu, was a Spanish writer and literary critic. His work includes both experimental fiction (such as ''La mirada'', ''La cabeza del durmiente'', and ''Los poderosos lo quieren todo'') and crime novels, particularly a long-running series featuring judge Mariana de Marco.

Life and career

Guelbenzu studied at the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Recuerdo, run by the Society of Jesus, and later enrolled at the ICADE business school and the Law School at the Complutense University of Madrid, though he left university in 1964 to dedicate himself fully to literature.

His earliest publications appeared in literary magazines such as ''Signos'', where he wrote film reviews, and ''Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos'', where he published poetry. His first book was a poetry collection, but he focused mainly on novels throughout his career. In 1967, he was a finalist for the Premio Biblioteca Breve with his debut novel, ''El mercurio''.

He worked for the magazine ''Cuadernos para el Diálogo'', contributed to numerous literary journals and newspapers, and was co-director of the Cine-Club Imagen in Madrid. He served as editorial director at Taurus (1977–1988) and Alfaguara (1982–1988). After 1988, he devoted himself exclusively to writing.

Guelbenzu was a regular contributor to the ''Opinion'' and ''Culture'' sections of the newspaper ''El País'', and a literary critic for its supplement ''Babelia''.

In 2001, he published the first of his crime novels featuring judge Mariana de Marco, ''No acosen al asesino''. He had expressed the desire to write ten books in the series.

Guelbenzu was married to Ana Rosa Semprún, a publisher and general director at Espasa Calpe. He died on 18 July 2025, at the age of 81.

Works

Poetry

* ''Espectros, la casa antigua'' (1967)

Short fiction

* "Hogar eventual" (1967), in ''Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos''
* "La donna de otoño" (1967), in ''Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos''
* "La mosca de Funchal" (1992), in ''Una infancia de escritor'' (1997)
* "Recuerdo una vez en Argüelles" (1997), in ''Urogallo: Revista literaria y cultural''

Novels

* ''El mercurio'' (1968)
* ''Antifaz'' (1970)
* ''El pasajero de ultramar'' (1976)
* ''La noche en casa'' (1977)
* ''El río de la luna'' (1981)
* ''El esperado'' (1984)
* ''La mirada'' (1987)
* ''La tierra prometida'' (1991)
* ''El sentimiento'' (1995)
* ''Un peso en el mundo'' (1999)
* ''La cabeza del durmiente'' (2003)
* ''Esta pared de hielo'' (2005)
* ''El amor verdadero'' (2010)
* ''Mentiras aceptadas'' (2013)
* ''Los poderosos lo quieren todo'' (2016)
* ''En la cama con el hombre inapropiado'' (2020)
* ''Mediodía en el tiempo'' (2023)
* ''Una gota de afecto'' (2025)

Mariana de Marco series

* ''No acosen al asesino'' (2001)
* ''La muerte viene de lejos'' (2004)
* ''El cadáver arrepentido'' (2007)
* ''Un asesinato piadoso'' (2008)
* ''El hermano pequeño'' (2011)
* ''Muerte en primera clase'' (2011)
* ''Nunca ayudes a una extraña'' (2014)
* ''El asesino desconsolado'' (2017)
* ''O calle para siempre'' (2019)
* ''Asesinato en el jardín Botánico'' (2022)

Awards

* Finalist, Premio Biblioteca Breve (1967), for ''El mercurio''
* Premio de la Crítica de narrativa castellana (1981), for ''El río de la luna''
* Premio Plaza & Janés (1991), for ''La tierra prometida''
* Reading Promotion Journalism Award (2007), from the Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez, for the article "Hubo una vez una novela" published in ''Heraldo de Aragón'' (15 March 2007)
* Premio Torrente Ballester (2010), for ''El hermano pequeño''
* Premio de la Crítica de Madrid (2016), for ''Los poderosos lo quieren todo''
* Observatorio d’Achtall Prize, for lifetime achievement

References

External links

Official website

Author profile
at Planeta Publishing Group

Article on Rebecca West's ''The Return of the Soldier''
in ''Revista de Libros''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guelbenzu, Jose Maria
1944 births
2025 deaths
Spanish novelists
Spanish male writers
Spanish literary critics
20th-century Spanish writers
21st-century Spanish writers
Writers from Madrid
Crime fiction writers