A Spanish novelist and journalist, born in Cartagena, Spain. He began his career as a newspaper correspondent, then worked as a war correspondent for twenty-one years. His first novel "El húsar", which was published in 1986, revolved around the Napoleonic Wars, while "The Captain Alatriste" series of novels gained him fame outside Spain. He became a member of the Royal Spanish Academy in 2003. Some of his credits include Gitano (2000) and La Reina del Sur (2011).