Carlos Alberto Montaner Facts for Kids

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Montaner and the second or maternal family name is Suris.

Quick facts for kids Carlos Alberto Montaner Suris
Montaner, Fair of book Miami 2011
Born	(1943-04-03)3 April 1943 Havana, Cuba
Died	30 June 2023(2023-06-30) (aged 80) Madrid, Spain
Citizenship	Spanish
Occupation	Writer, journalist

Carlos Alberto Montaner Suris (born April 3, 1943 – died June 30, 2023) was a famous Cuban writer and journalist. He was known for speaking out against Fidel Castro and the Cuban government. His articles were printed in many newspapers across Latin America. He also wrote many books, both fiction and non-fiction, about Latin America. Montaner was also a political expert for CNN en Español.

Early Life and Escape
His Career as a Writer
Death
See also

Early Life and Escape

Montaner was born in 1943 in Havana, Cuba. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Cuban government put Montaner in prison. They believed he was working against the revolution. Soon after, he managed to escape from prison. He then left Cuba for good. In 1970, he moved to Spain from the United States.

In 2007, the government of Madrid gave Montaner the Prize for Tolerance. This award honors people who have fought for freedom and human rights.

His Career as a Writer

After getting a master's degree from the University of Miami, Montaner taught American literature. He taught at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico from 1966 to 1970. During these years, he published four books. These included Los combatientes (1968) and Póker de brujas (1970). The last two books were also printed in English.

Montaner started his career in journalism in 1968. He worked with Joaquín Maurín, a Spanish writer who had started the American Literary Agency. This agency aimed to share ideas about democracy in the United States and Latin America.

Montaner began writing a weekly newspaper column. Soon, his column was read all over Latin America. He also became a popular speaker. He traveled to many countries to talk about freedom, how countries grow, and the role of culture in society.

Moving to Madrid

By 1970, Montaner was very successful as a writer and speaker. This allowed him to move to Madrid, Spain. There, he focused on writing his columns and books. In 1972, he started his own publishing company called Editorial Playor.

His first novel, Perromundo, came out in 1972. It was later made into a movie. In 1975, he published Informe secreto sobre la revolución cubana. A year later, he wrote 200 años de gringos. This book celebrated 200 years of the United States. It compared how the United States grew with how Latin America developed. Montaner often wrote about why some parts of the Americas developed differently.

As Spain became more democratic, he joined the Liberal Club of Madrid. This group supported democratic ideas.

Television and More Books

In the 1980s, Montaner started a weekly TV show. It was sent by satellite across Latin America. He also wrote three more books. One was Fidel Castro y la revolución cubana, which was translated into English, Italian, and Russian.

In 1980, he won the ABC Prize for Journalism in Spain. By this time, his columns were also appearing in newspapers in the United States. The Miami Herald asked him to join their team of writers. He also helped edit the opinion page of El Nuevo Herald from 1987 to 1989.

Working with World Leaders

In 1992, a group called the Liberal International made Montaner a vice president. This allowed him to meet many important world leaders. In the early 1990s, magazines like Ciencia Política and Perfiles Liberales asked him to join their editorial teams. Also, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal started to publish his columns sometimes.

Montaner wrote three books during this time. These included Cómo y por qué cayó el comunismo (How and why communism fell). He also wrote Libertad, la clave de la prosperidad (Freedom, the key to prosperity). He was also a visiting professor at universities in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Perú.

His best-selling book, Manual del Perfecto ... Latinoamericano, was published in 1996. He wrote this book with Álvaro Vargas Llosa and Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza. Its next part, Fabricantes de miseria, came out in 1998. Montaner also wrote No perdamos también el siglo XXI (1997) and Viaje al corazón de Cuba (1999).

In 1999, Montaner received two awards in Madrid: the Premio de Periodismo de la Fundación Independiente and the Medalla de la Cultura de Puerto Rico. That same year, he won a Premio América award. The award said, "His writings on freedom have served as a guide to the oppressed and to the emerging democracies."

Later Years

In 2004, The Miami Herald invited him to join their editorial board again. From then on, his weekly columns were published in English.

During this time, Montaner wrote books like Las raíces torcidas de América Latina (2002). He also wrote América Latina y la cultura occidental (2004). These books explored why Latin America faced poverty and did not develop as quickly. In 2006, a company made a TV series of 13 lessons on Cuban history. Montaner wrote and narrated these lessons. The scripts were later published in a book called Los Cubanos: historia de Cuba en una lección.

He published two more books in 2007. In 2010, Montaner and Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez had an interesting exchange of letters about Cuba.

Montaner received an honorary doctoral degree from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín. His daughter, Gina Montaner, is married to journalist Jorge Ramos. They have a daughter named Paola.

Death

Carlos Alberto Montaner died on June 30, 2023. He was 80 years old. He passed away from a brain disease.

Carlos Alberto Montaner facts for kids

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