Javier Pradera
Francisco Javier Pradera Gortázar (born April 28, 1934 in San Sebastián , Gipuzkoa , Basque Country , Spain , † November 20, 2011 in Madrid ) was a Spanish journalist , publisher and political activist.
Life
Pradera's grandfather, a founder of the former conservative Spanish party Bloque Nacional , and his father were killed by Spanish anarchists a few days apart in San Sebastián at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War . He completed his law degree in Madrid at the Universidad Complutense with a cum laude degree. He then found employment in the legal department of the Spanish Air Force, the Ejército del Aire .
In February 1956, Pradera took part in student protests against the Franco regime in Madrid, was arrested and lost his job. In the following years he opposed the political family traditions and joined the Partido Comunista de España (CPE), which was banned in Spain during the Franco regime. However, he left the party in 1964 after Jorge Semprún and Fernando Claudín had been expelled from the party. He found his new home in other left-wing groups in the country.
He enjoyed a long friendship with the first socialist prime minister from the PSOE, Felipe González , as well as with Jorge Semprún, who became minister of culture under González.
Journalistic activity
In 1976, after Franco's death, Pradera co-founded and edited the Madrid daily El País . He remained a columnist and editor until his death. At the same time he was the director of Editorial Alianza and co-founder of the Siglo XXI publishing house . Pradera and the Basque philosopher Fernando Savater founded the magazine Claves de la Razon Práctica (Key to Practical Reason) in 1990 .
His last column appeared on the day he died in El País, entitled Al borde del abismo (On the Edge of the Abyss) and warned the government of the dangers of the European debt crisis .
Awards
- 2011: Posthumously the Spanish medalla al mérito constitucional at the suggestion of Ramón Jáuregui .
Publications
- Together with Santos Juliá and Joaquín Prieto: Memorias de la transición . Turus, Madrid 1996, ISBN 84-306-0036-1 .
literature
Jordi Garcia: Javier Pradera o el poder de la izquierda . Editorial Anagrama, Barcelona 2019. ISBN 978-8-4945-6923-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Manuel Morales: Javier Pradera, biografía de una personalidad “radicalmente honesta” . In: El País . No. 15,471 . Madrid November 22, 2019, p. 30 .
- ↑ Man of Resistance in: FAZ from November 22, 2011, page 25
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pradera, Javier |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Pradera Gortázar, Francisco Javier (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Spanish journalist and publisher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 28, 1934 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Sebastian , Gipuzkoa , Basque Country , Spain |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 20, 2011 |
| Place of death | Madrid |