Writer Juan Muñoz Martín, author of the sagas of Fray Perico and El Pirata Garrapata, has died at the age of 93, according to his family on his Twitter account. “Dear Juan Muñoz readers and students, we sadly announce his passing. His books will always remind us of the best moments of our childhood and laugh at his crazy stories. We want new readers to discover you. We remember him so happily,” the statement said. Muñoz Martín, born in Madrid, left his mark on several generations, inspiring thousands of children to read with Fray Perico and his donkey, which spans nine volumes, and El pirata Garrapata, with 16 titles. He also wrote other stories such as Baldomero the Gunslinger or El Corsario Macario on the Island of the Dinosaurs.
Dear readers and students of Juan Muñoz, we sadly announce his death. His books will always remind us of the best moments of our childhood and laugh at his crazy stories. We want new readers to discover you. We remember him so happily. pic.twitter.com/bidS3AAp9q
— Juan Muñoz Martín (@authorFrayPerico) February 27, 2023
The writer, who was also a professor of literature – taught for more than 40 years at the Jamer Institution School in Madrid – started a Twitter account in 2020 with the help of his children and grandchildren, where he thanked users for their affection for books, of which he sold more than two million copies among all his sagas.
Muñoz Martín won the 1979 El Barco de Vapor award for Fray Perico and his Donkey, the story of a monk who turned a monastery upside down in Salamanca in the 19th century, although it wasn’t his first short story. In 1966 he took part in the Doncel literary competition, which he eventually won with his first publication Las tres piedras y otros cuentos. Other awards would follow, such as the Gran Angular for young adult novels for El hombre mecánico (1984) or the I Complutense Cervantes Chico Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 1992 as the author most read by children.
“In this account we will announce events or publications by the author of Fray Perico and El Pirata Garrapata that may interest you. Thank you all: readers, booksellers, teachers, parents, publishers, journalists and friends from the world of books and culture who have made him so happy,” his family added in a second message on Twitter.
In this account we will announce events or publications by the author of Fray Perico and El Pirata Garrapata that may interest you.
Thank you all: readers, booksellers, teachers, parents, publishers, journalists and friends from the world of books and culture who have made him so happy.— Juan Muñoz Martín (@authorFrayPerico) February 27, 2023
The adventures of Fray Perico and the pirate Garrapata even reached China when a Chinese Spanish teacher asked a colleague which books were the most successful in Spain and he mentioned Muñoz’s. At the time, he used it to teach Spanish to his university students in the Asian country.
In an interview with EL PAÍS in 2020, Muñoz Martín recounted his first steps in literature: “In 1966, a day before the book was delivered, I took part in the Doncel literary competition. I only had a few short stories and spent all night with my wife creating them. She typed and I introduced myself. In the end I won with my first release, Las tres piedras y otros cuentos. I remember when Fraga Iribarne gave me the award.” At the same meeting, he explained the secret of his stories: “My books make people laugh. We know it’s lies, but we want it to be like that in real life. It’s like taking people into a dream. The characters experience very varied adventures, they can be at the North Pole or on the moon. You have to look for the funny vein in the stories. Imagine a president’s dog.”
Juan Muñoz, at his home in Manzanares el Real in 2020.
At the age of 10 Muñoz entered the seminary of Ávila and later continued in Madrid. “There were almost 400 of us. Back then, you either studied or became a priest. I got away at 17 because it wasn’t my calling. Then I studied French philology at the Complutense University,” he explained. The first reading that characterized him was Don Quijote: “It was required reading to be admitted to the Baccalaureate. When I first started writing, I opted for reads with lots of characters and action, which suited what I wanted to write. I ended up writing my little Quixote: Fray Perico de la Mancha,” he told this newspaper.
All the culture that suits you awaits you here.
subscribe to
Babelia
The literary novelties analyzed by the best critics in our weekly bulletin
GET IT