Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa (born 11 October 1936 in

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Santa Cruz de Tenerife, commonly abbreviated as Santa Cruz (), is a city, the capital of the island of Tenerife, Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and capital of the Canary Islands. Santa Cruz has a population of 206,593 (2013) within its admi ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

) is a Spanish novelist, inventor and industrialist. His novels have sold over 25 million copies worldwide. He is the owner of A.V.F.S.L, a

desalinization Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltwa ...

company that uses a method of desalinization by pressure, invented by himself.

Biography

Vázquez-Figueroa and his family fled from the

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Since his youth, he visited the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and described the culture of the desert region. He also worked as a teacher of

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

techniques on the school boat "Cruz del Sur" of the

oceanologist Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful Aqua-Lung, open-circuit SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus). T ...

He attended the studios of the in a part of 1962 and worked in the Destino specials. He was a war correspondent in

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and i ...

, for TVE (

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

) and for the program ' with de la Cuadra Salcedo and Silva. As a correspondent, he documented revolutionary wars in countries such as

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. He later wrote his first novel, ' (''Sand and Wind''), and in 1975, he published as many as 14 to 15

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

s such as ''Ébano''. His other works include ''

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

'', ', and ' as well as the sagas ', ', ' and '. His novel ''Tuareg'' was cinematized in 1984 by director Enzo G. Castellari.Tuareg - Il guerriero del deserto
/ref> His novel ''Iguana'' was cinematized in 1988 by

Monte Hellman Monte Hellman (; born Monte Jay Himmelbaum; July 12, 1929 – April 20, 2021) was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the ho ...

. His novel ''Garoé'' ( the name of a sacred tree in the

) won the 2010 Historical Novel Prize Alfonso X El Sabio, valued at €100,000. He has also published an autobiography entitled ''Anaconda''. He is also a screenwriter and film director and has made such films as ''

Oro rojo Oro Rojo (also known as ''Red Gold'') is a 1978 pirate film that was written and directed by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa. It was filmed on location in Spain and Mexico. Plot A boatswain finds himself stranded on an island. Surrounded by starving, ...

''.

Literature

* ''

'' (1980) * ''Tras las huellas de Alec'' (1971) * Serie Cienfuegos ** ''Cienfuegos'' (1987) ** ''Caribes'' (''Caribs'') ** ''Saud el Leopardo'' (2009) ** ''Azabache'' ** ''Montenegro'' ** ''Brazofuerte'' ** ''Xaraguá'' ** ''Tierra de bisontes'' (''Land of the bisons'') * ''Olvidar Machu-Picchu'' (1983) * ''Manaos'' * ''Viracocha'' * ''Anaconda'' * ''Nuevos dioses'' * ''El agua prometida'' * ''La ordalía del veneno'' * ''Marea negra'' * ''

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

'' * Serie Océano (Ocean Series): **''

Isla de Lobos The Isla de Lobos is a small island located about southeast of Punta del Este (Uruguay). An islet lies east of the island. Geography The island is an outcropping of rocks as a continuation of the Cuchilla Grande, in an area of the Atlantic Oc ...

'' ( ''Océano'') **''

Yaiza Yaiza is a small town in the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Spain. It lies in the southwest of the island. The population in 2012 was 857. The town gives its name to the municipality of Yaiza, although it is much smaller than the l ...

'' **''Maradentro'' * Serie Piratas (Pirate Series): ** ''Piratas'' (1996) ** ''Negreros'' ** ''Leon Bocanegra'' * ''Tiempo de conquistadores'' (2000) * ''Un mundo mejor'' (2002) * ''El señor de las tinieblas'' * ''El anillo verde'' * ''Delfines'' (''Dolphins'') * ''La ruta de Orellana'' * ''La Iguana'' * ''Ícaro'' * ''Bora Bora'' * ''Ébano'' (1974) * ''¡Panamá, Panamá!'' * ''Tierra virgen. La destrucción del Amazonas'' * ''El inca'' (''The Inca'') * ''Los ojos del tuareg'' (2000) * ''Vendaval'' * ''Ciudadano Max'' * ''África llora'' * ''Marfil'' * ''Sicario'' * ''Palmira'' * ''¿Quién mató al embajador?'' * ''Como un perro rabioso'' ( ''El perro'') * ''Matar a Gadafi'' (1997) * ''Vivir del viento'' * ''El rey leproso'' (2005) * ''Bajo siete mares'' * ''Por mil millones de dólares'' (2007) * ''Coltan'' (2008)

Filmography

*''El perro'', directed by

Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi Lasa (22 March 1927 – 28 September 2017) was a Spanish film director and producer. Isasi-Isasmendi began working in the production firm Emisora Films as an assistant manager, film editor, scriptwriter, lead producer, a ...

(1977, based on the novel ''El perro'') *''

'', directed by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa (1978) *'' Ashanti'', directed by

Richard Fleischer Richard O. Fleischer (; December 8, 1916 – March 25, 2006) was an American film director whose career spanned more than four decades, beginning at the height of the Golden Age of Hollywood and lasting through the American New Wave. Though he ...

(1979, based on the novel ''Ébano'') *'' Manaos'', directed by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa (1979, based on the novel ''Manaos'') *''Last Harem'', directed by

Sergio Garrone Sergio Garrone (born 15 April 1925) is an Italian director, screenwriter and film producer. Life and career Born in Rome, the brother of the actor Riccardo, Garrone began his career in 1948 working as assistant director, documentary filmmaker, ...

(1981, based on the novel ''El último harén'') *'' Tuareg – The Desert Warrior'', directed by Enzo G. Castellari (1984, based on the novel ''

'') *''Crystal Heart'', directed by Gil Bettman (1986) *''

Iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his bo ...

'', directed by

(1988, based on the novel ''Iguana'') *''

Rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered mea ...

'', directed by

Brian Yuzna Brian Yuzna is an American producer, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror film genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as ''Re-Animator'' (1 ...

(2004, based on the novel ''El perro'')

References

External links

Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa's Official English Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vazquez-Figueroa, Alberto 1936 births Living people People from Santa Cruz de Tenerife Writers from the Canary Islands Spanish inventors 20th-century Spanish writers 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish writers Spanish film directors Spanish screenwriters