Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He was born on 25 November 1951 in Cartagena. Pérez-Reverte began his career as a war correspondent for RTVE and worked in this capacity for 21 years, from 1973 to 1994. His first novel, El húsar, set during the Napoleonic Wars, was released in 1986. He is widely recognized internationally for his "Alatriste" series of novels. In 2003, he became a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, a prestigious position he has held since 12 June of that year.