Overview

• José María Guelbenzu died on July 18, 2025 in Madrid at age 81, as confirmed by Editorial Siruela and El País.
• He directed Taurus in the late 1970s and Alfaguara in the 1980s, guiding Spain’s literary publishing after the Franco era.
• His Mariana de Marco detective series (2001–2022) revitalized Spanish crime fiction by centering on a dynamic female judge.
• Una gota de afecto, published in April 2025, was his final novel exploring memory and familial bonds.
• A founding critic for Babelia and mentor at Fuentetaja and the Escuela de Letras de Madrid, he nurtured generations of writers.