Antonio Zozaya y Balza was born in Madrid, studied Law, worked as a lawyer and had an intellectual interest in philosophy since his teens, publishing a series of pocket-books (more than 120) with the main works of world philosophy that were sold at a very low price. His translation of Spinoza is still a standard amongst Spanish philosophy books. He also became a journalist in Spanish papers like El Liberal and La Libertad, with other re-known Spanish writers and journalists of the pre-1936 period. He also wrote novels and theatre works, amongst which "Miopita" was turned into a film by Luis Lopez de Heredia, with one of the longest travelings in the history of cinema. The film was called "Cielo Negro", dealt with the problem of emotional cheating and suicide and was filmed in Spain in the early 40s. This is more remarkable since Antonio Zozaya, who took part with the Loyalist-Republican government at the time of the fascist uprising in 1936, left Spain in 1939 to France, embarked in Sete, in 1939, in the SS Sinaia and died in exile in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1942. All of his family also left Spain at the time, but eventually returned there in the late 50s and early 60s.

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Antonio Zozaya

Writer