A son of the embattled Spanish Republic and the French Resistance who spent two years in Buchenwald, Jorge Semprun has used his wartime and post-war experience as the source of several novels and screenplays. His first venture into the film world came with the script for Alain Resnais' "La Guerre est finie" (1966); another notable collaboration was on Costa-Gavras' "Z" (1969). Semprun has also directed one film, "The Two Memories" (1974). He was appointed Spanish Minister of Culture in July 1988.
- Also Credited As:
Jorge Maura Semprun
- Born:
December 10, 1923 in Madrid, Spain
-
Job Titles:
Novelist, Screenwriter, Director
Family
-
Father: Jose Maria Semprun Gurrea.
Education
-
Sorbonne, University of Paris, Paris, France, philosophy and letters, 1942
-
Lycee Henri IV, Paris, France
Milestones
-
1936 Fled with family to The Hague (where father was stationed as diplomat) to escape the Spanish Civil War
-
1939 Moved to France with family
-
1940 Joined the Spanish Communist Party and the French Resistance
-
1943 Arrested by Nazis for resistance activities and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp
-
1953 Elected member of Central Committee of Spanish Commmunist Party
-
1964 Expelled from Spanish Communist Party after arguing for democratic road to socialism ; returned to Paris until 1988
-
1964 Published first book, Le Grand Voyage
-
1966 First film as screenwriter, La Guerre est Finie (dir. Alain Resnais)
-
1974 Film directing debut, The Two Memories
-
1988 Appointed Spanish Minister of Culture
-
Liberated by allies; returned to Paris; began writing and translating; worked as United Nations translator
-
Lived clandestinely in Spain under pseudonym Federico Sanchez