Exile, Writer, Soldier, Spy: Jorge Semprún

Author Soledad Fox Maura discusses her new biography of Jorge Semprún –the Nazi camp survivor, novelist, political activist and Oscar-nominated Spanish screenwriter– in two events in New York City.

Panel discussion

• On Thursday, February 7 at 6:30 pm.
• At Albertine, 972 5th Ave, New York, NY 10075.
• Free, no RSVP required. In English.

Author Soledad Fox Maura, New Yorker journalist Jane Kramer, professor Vincent Crapanzano, and publisher Jeannette Seaver discuss Fox Maura’s new biography of the Oscar-nominated screenwriter responsible for Z and The War Is Over.

Book presentation

• On Friday, February 8 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
• At the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University, 70 Washington Square S, New York, NY 10012.
• Free, RSVP required.

Soledad Fox Maura Maura discusses her book Exile, Writer, Soldier, Spy: Jorge Semprún at the Tamiment Library. Fox Maura is a writer and Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature at Williams College. Her work focuses on biography, and on the the intersections between literature, memoir, and history in the contexts of the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Cold War. Her latest book –Exile, Writer, Soldier, Spy: Jorge Semprún (Arcade, 2018)– is the first biography of Jorge Semprún, and explores the incredible life of a European hero who was an exile, French resistance fighter, Nazi camp survivor, novelist, political activist and Oscar-nominated screenwriter.

About Jorge Semprún

A man of many faces, Jorge Semprún perfectly personified the struggles and successes of twentieth-century Europe. Semprún enjoyed a privileged childhood as the grandson of Spanish prime minister, Antonio Maura, until his world was shattered by the political strife of the Spanish Civil War and he went into exile. Facing dangers rarely seen outside the action movies of Hollywood, Semprún adopted a resilient spirit and rebel’s stance. He fought with the French Resistance in World War II and survived imprisonment at Buchenwald. After the war, he became an organizing member of the exiled Spanish communist party, maintaining the appearance of a normal civilian life while keeping one step ahead of Francisco Franco’s secret police for years.