The esteemed institution of the National Mint and Stamp Factory-Royal Mint has announced its plans to embark on the stamping of a unique series of postage stamps. This series of stamps will be dedicated to the widely respected and beloved Juan Muñoz Martín.
According to an announcement published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on a recent Friday, the 27th of February marks a significant date. On this day, as part of the distinguished series, ‘Literature’ a postage stamp dedicated to the iconic Juan Muñoz Martín will be issued. This stamp boasts a postal value of 1.70 euros, reflecting the significant contribution of Martín to the world of literature.
The sale and circulation of this special series are set to commence on February 27. The Distribution to various points of sale, however, will halt on December 31, 2029. Despite this, the stamps will retain their value indefinitely for franking purposes unless a contrary order is issued.
The BOE has further clarified that once the said date is reached, the Sociedad Pública Correos y Telégrafos, SA, SME, can request the National Mint and Stamp Factory-Real Casa de la Moneda to declare any leftover stamps from the issue as unusable.
Juan Muñoz, a prolific writer responsible for masterpieces such as ‘Fray Perico and his donkey’ and ‘The Pirate Tick’, passed away on February 27, 2023, aged 93. Born on May 13, 1929 in Atocha, Madrid, he left an indelible mark on the world of literature. In addition to his literary prowess, he was also a dedicated teacher and founded several schools alongside his brothers, Pepe and Luis.
Muñoz’s final published work was ‘The Pirate Tick on Mars’. The author described it as “a wild adventure filled with word games, memorable rhyming names, secret messages that draw you into the narrative, unpleasant smells and tastes, and Martian stones, meteorites, eyes, and ears”.
Muñoz expressed his joy at the Madrid Book Fair, saying, “I am thrilled to see that those readers from the eighties and nineties, now adults, are reintroducing the popular editions of Barco de Vapor to their children and nephews. It brings me immense satisfaction to see the younger generation enjoying my books as much as their parents did, and even requesting new adventures.”
In 1966, Muñoz was awarded the Doncel prize for his compelling story, ‘The three stones’. During his teaching stint at a school on Toledo Street, an inspector presented him with a book titled ‘The little flowers of San Francisco’, which would serve as the foundation for his most acclaimed work, Fray Perico y su borrico. This work earned him the SM El Barco de Vapor Award in 1980.
With over one and a half million copies sold, ‘Fray Perico’ has been translated into numerous languages and is even used in Japan as a teaching aid for Spanish language learning.
In 1982, another of his noteworthy books, ‘The Tick Pirate’, was published. Over time, Juan Muñoz transformed his two characters into the central figures of two sagas, which have become the two best-selling titles in SM’s El Barco de Vapor collection. There have been 71 editions of ‘Fray Perico y su donkey’ and 64 editions of ‘The Pirate Garrapata’.
