Juan García Hortelano was a Spanish writer. He was born in Madrid on Valentine's Day 1928. His father was a doctor. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he was sent with his siblings to Cuenca, only returning to Madrid in 1937 where he lived with his maternal grandparents. The libraries at school and home turned him into an avid reader. Following the war, he entered college in 1941, later studying law at Madrid University. He joined the Civil Service in 1953. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to writing with fervour and discipline without abandoning his administrative job in Madrid. He cultivated friendships with writers and intellectuals of his generation: Juan Benet, Carlos Barral, Jaime Gil de Biedma, Juan Marsé and Ángel González.
