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Jason Webster is an Anglo-American author who writes on
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. He was born in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
to British parents in 1970. He has spent most of his adult life in Spain, having settled in
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
with his Spanish wife, actress and dancer Salud Botella. He is a director of The Scheherazade Foundation.


Education

Webster was educated in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
and
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. In 1993 he graduated from
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
( St John's College) with a degree in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and Islamic History.


Works

Webster is the author of fifteen books on Spain and Spanish themes, ranging from travel to history, biography, detective fiction, essay, short story and poetry. He has appeared in several television documentaries and his works have been translated into a dozen languages.


Books

* ''Duende: A journey in search of Flamenco'' (2003), which recounts Webster's move to Spain after university and his quest to learn
flamenco guitar A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, more gritty sound compared to the clas ...
and the path to the elusive yet passionate feeling of
duende A duende is a humanoid figure of folklore, with variations from Iberian, Ibero American, and Filipino cultures, comparable to dwarves, gnomes, or leprechauns. In Spanish ''duende'' originated as a contraction of the phrase or , effectively ...
, an untranslatable term referring to the feeling that is the essence of
flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
. It was long-listed for the
Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspap ...
and read on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's
Book of the Week ''Book of the Week'' is a BBC Radio 4 series that is broadcast daily on week days. Each week, extracts from the selected book, usually a non-fiction work, are read over five episodes; each fifteen-minute episode is broadcast in the morning (9:45a ...
. * ''Andalus: Unlocking the secrets of Moorish Spain'' (2004, Doubleday, ) examines the deep impact left on Spain – and by extension the rest of
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
– by the Moorish presence and was adapted as a radio play by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. * ''Guerra: Living in the shadows of the Spanish Civil War'' (2006, Black Swan, ), studied the wounds left by the
civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
on contemporary Spain through a combination of history and travel. A Spanish edition, ''Las heridas abiertas de la guerra civil'', was published in 2008 with a prologue by
Paul Preston Sir Paul Preston CBE (born 21 July 1946) is an English historian and Hispanist, biographer of Francisco Franco, and specialist in Spanish history, in particular the Spanish Civil War, which he has studied for more than 30 years. He is the win ...
of the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...
* ''Sacred Sierra: A year on a Spanish mountain'' (2009, Chatto & Windus, ) describes a year that Webster and his Spanish wife spent living on their mountain farm in eastern Spain, on the slopes of the sacred peak of
Penyagolosa Penyagolosa (, es, Peñagolosa) is a mountain in the Alcalatén area, Valencian Community, Spain. Geologically it is part of the Iberian System, located at the eastern end of Iberian Peninsula. Its peak is at 1,813 meters above sea level a ...
, working on the land and planting trees with the help of a 12th-century Moorish gardening manual. It paints a portrait of a little-known part of the country, with details of its folklore, history and customs, and with meditations on stories, the need to preserve them and their importance for communities. Webster made a short promotional film for the book in conjunction with the award-winning Swedish film director
David Flamholc David Flamholc (born 27 September 1974) is a Swedish filmmaker and director. He lives in London and works through his company, Caravan Film, together with his father, Leon Flamholc Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places ...
of
Caravan Film Caravan Film is a London, UK based independent film production company headed by feature and documentary filmmakers Leon & David Flamholc David Flamholc (born 27 September 1974) is a Swedish filmmaker and director. He lives in London and wo ...
. * ''Or the Bull Kills You'' (2011,
Minotaur Books St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...
, ) is a crime novel set in the world of bullfighting. It is the first in a series of detective stories set in Valencia around central character Chief Inspector Max Cámara of the Spanish National Police. It was long-listed in July 2011 for a Crime Writers' Association dagger award (the
CWA New Blood Dagger __NOTOC__ The CWA New Blood Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association (CWA) for first books by previously unpublished writers. It is given in memory of CWA founder John Creasey and was previously known as The John Cre ...
). * ''A Death in Valencia'' (2012,
Minotaur Books St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...
, ), a second Chief Inspector Max Cámara crime novel. * ''The Anarchist Detective'' (2013, Chatto & Windus, ), is the third Chief Inspector Max Cámara crime novel set in
La Mancha La Mancha () is a natural and historical region located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. La Mancha is an arid but fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to th ...
. * ''The Spy with 29 Names'' (2014, Chatto & Windus, ), published in the US as ''The Great Garbo Deception: Hitler, D-Day and a Man Called Juan'' (Corsario, ) tells the true story of Spaniard Juan Pujol, MI5's
double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organ ...
Garbo, who played a vital role in the success of the Allies'
Normandy campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. * ''Blood Med'' (2014, Chatto & Windus, ), is the fourth Chief Inspector Max Cámara crime novel, focussing on the political and social problems of contemporary Spain. * ''A Body in Barcelona'' (2015, Chatto & Windus, ), is the fifth Chief Inspector Max Cámara novel, set mostly in Barcelona against a backdrop of attempts by Catalan activists to declare independence from Spain. The novel anticipated by two years similar moves in real life by Catalan politicians, who held a controversial referendum on independence in October 2017. * ''Fatal Sunset'' (2017, Chatto & Windus, ), is the sixth Chief Inspector Max Cámara novel, set mostly in and around the city of Valencia. * ''Violencia: A New History of Spain'' (2019, Constable, ), published in the US as ''Why Spain Matters: A History of the Land that Shaped the Western World'' (Corsario, ). * ''The World of Max Cámara'' (2020, Corsario, ), Volume I of Webster's ''Mosaics of Spain'' series, is a collection of essays, articles, photos, interviews and a short story focussing on the author's fictional police detective and the city of Valencia, where he lives and works. * ''The Art of Flamenco'' (2020, Corsario, ), Volume II of the ''Mosaics of Spain'' series, is a collection of articles, essays and photos focussing on flamenco. * ''The Book of Duende'' (2022, Corsario, ) is an in-depth examination of what Webster describes as 'the magical and often mysterious force at the heart of flamenco', containing aphorisms, essays, proverbs, stories and poetry. Apart from his books, Webster has also written for the British newspapers ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'', ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
,'' ''
The Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publishe ...
'' , the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British Political magazine, political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney Webb, Sidney and Beatrice ...
'' and '' Sunday Telegraph'', and for the Spanish newspape
''El Asombrario''
He has appeared in several British TV documentaries, including ''An Islamic History of Europe'', presented by
Rageh Omaar Rageh Omaar (; so, Raage Oomaar; ar, راجح أومار; born 19 July 1967) is a Somali-born British journalist and writer. He was a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq. In September 2006, he moved to ...
on BBC television and the critically acclaimed ''Andalusia: The Legacy of the Moors'' for Five. In April 2013 he presented "Flashmob Flamenco", a documentary for
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
on the response within the Flamenco community to the economic crisis in Spain.


Interviews with Webster


BBC Excess Baggage



Shotsmag Crime & Thriller Ezine

Podría estar varias vidas estudiando España


See also

* The Scheherazade Foundation


Notes


External links


Official website

AuthorsPlace web page on Jason Webster
*


Reviews of Webster's books


Review of ''Duende''
in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
Review of ''Andalus''
in ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
''
Review of ''Guerra''
in ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
''
Review of ''Sacred Sierra''
in ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
''
Review of ''Or the Bull Kills You''
in ''The Independent''
Review of ''Or the Bull Kills You''
in ''Shots Ezine'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Jason British travel writers American travel writers American male non-fiction writers American Hispanists Spanish non-fiction writers Living people 1970 births British Hispanists British crime writers British non-fiction writers