Jorge Semprún

Madrid, Spain

Jorge Semprún Maura was a Spanish writer and politician. From 1953 to 1962, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, Semprún lived clandestinely in Spain working as an organizer for the exiled Communist Party of Spain, but was expelled from the party in 1964. After Franco's death and the change to a democratic government, he was Spain's Minister of Culture from 1988 to 1991. He was screenwriter for two successive films by Greek director Costa-Gavras. In 1996 he became the first non-French author to be elected a member of the Académie Goncourt, which awards an annual literary prize.