Spain
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Jorge Semprún
Madrid, Spain
Archival Overview
Spanish novelist, French Resistance fighter, and Buchenwald concentration camp survivor who wrote screenplays for Costa-Gavras (Z) and served as Spain's Minister of Culture.
Biographical Record
Jorge Semprún Maura was the grandson of Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Maura. Fleeing Francoist Spain in 1939, he joined the French Resistance, was captured by the Gestapo in 1943, and survived sixteen months of horrific captivity in Buchenwald.
Writing primarily in French, Semprún recounted the camps in luminous memoirs like 'The Long Voyage' and 'Literature or Life'. As a screenwriter, he earned two Academy Award nominations for Costa-Gavras's 'Z' and Alain Resnais' 'The War Is Over'. From 1988 to 1991, he served as Minister of Culture in Felipe González's Spanish government.
Key Life Milestones
Oscar Nomination for Screenplay of Z
Nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the seminal political thriller directed by Costa-Gavras.
Minister of Culture of Spain
Appointed Spanish Minister of Culture, championing democratic reconciliation and European intellectual unity.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialGarentreville, France