Ramón J. Sender

Ramón José Sender Garcés (3 February 1901 – 16 January 1982) was a Spanish novelist, essayist and journalist. Several of his works were translated into English by the distinguished zoologist, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, including Seven Red Sundays (Siete domingos rojos), Mr Witt Among the Rebels (Mr Witt en el cantón) and The War in Spain (Contraataque). He published articles in the Valencia-based Orto magazine between 1932 and 1934. During the Spanish Civil War Sender was among the contributors of El Mono Azul, a Republican literary magazine.

The Civil War had a profound and lasting impact on Sender. He served as an officer in the Spanish Republican Army, and the nationalists killed his wife – Amparo Barayon. His work Contraataque was based on his military experience and aimed to garner support for the Republicans.

Following Francisco Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War, Sender went into exile, first settling in Mexico before moving to the United States, where he became a U.S. citizen in 1946. In the United States, he built a long career as a professor of Spanish literature at various universities, primarily in Albuquerque and San Diego.

He temporarily returned to Spain when Franco was on his deathbed, and his return caused a stir in his homeland. However, the permanent residence in Spain, which Sender had longed for and spoken so much about, never came to fruition. Sender died in San Diego in 1982.