Juan Muñoz Martín (13 May 1929 – 27 February 2023) was a Spanish writer and teacher, known for his contributions to Spanish children's literature, most notably the best-selling El pirata Garrapata [es] and Fray Perico [es] book series.

Juan Muñoz Martín was born in Madrid on 13 May 1929.[1] After leaving a seminary at age 17, he studied French philology at the University of Madrid.[2] He worked for the Instituto de Previsión [es].[2] A resident of the Cuatro Caminos neighborhood, Muñoz worked as a literature teacher at the Jamer Institution in Madrid for four decades.[2][3][4] He earned great success in 1979 with his book Fray Perico y su borrico.[3] It was followed by Fray Perico en la guerra (1989), Fray Perico, Calcetín y el guerrillero Martín (1994), Fray Perico en la paz (1996), Nuevas aventuras de fray Perico (1996), Fray Perico y Monpetit (1998), Fray Perico y la primavera (2003), Fray Perico y la Navidad (2003) and Fray Perico de la Mancha (2005).[5]

Likewise, the seminal work of El pirata Garrapata book series, published in 1982, was followed by 15 new works following the character's adventures.[5]

His most famous books were Fray Perico y su borrico (with 71 editions) and El pirata Garrapata (with 64 editions).[1] By the time of his death, they still ranked as the top-selling titles of El Barco de Vapor collection.[2] His swan song is El pirata Garrapata en Marte, presented in 2021.[1] He was bestowed with the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 2021.[6]

Muñoz Martin died on 27 February 2023, at the age of 93.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d García, Concha (27 February 2023). "Muere Juan Muñoz, el creador de "Fray Perico y su borrico" y "El pirata garrapata"". La Razón.
  2. ^ a b c d Fanjul, Sergio C. (27 February 2023). "Muere a los 93 años Juan Muñoz, autor de las sagas de Fray Perico y el Pirata Garrapata". El País.
  3. ^ a b Cruz, Luis de la (27 February 2023). "Juan Muñoz Martín, el profe que probaba con sus alumnos los textos de Fray Perico y El Pirata Garrapata". Somos Tetuán – via eldiario.es.
  4. ^ "Muere Juan Muñoz, el autor de Fray Perico y su borrico, el gran best seller de la literatura infantil española". El Mundo. 27 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b García González, Jorge (27 February 2023). "Los mejores libros de Juan Muñoz Martín, el autor que todos tenemos en nuestra casa". El Confidencial.
  6. ^ Casares, Bea (28 December 2021). "Estos son los 31 galardonados con la Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes 2021". LaSexta.