The journalist and writer Ramón Lobo, who worked for decades at El País and stood out for his work as a war correspondent, died this Wednesday in Madrid at the age of 68, a victim of lung cancer that he was diagnosed with a year ago.
This was announced by the newspaper, noting that for two decades Lobo covered “the main international conflicts, from Bosnia and Chechnya to Iraq, Afghanistan or Lebanon, passing through Sierra Leone, Congo or Rwanda” for the newspaper.
In the letter, El País emphasizes that Ramón Lobo carried out his work “with a mixture of humanity and heartbreak, without hiding any detail, no matter how terrible it was, but always trying to adopt the point of view of those who suffer from wars.”
Born in the municipality of Lagunillas, in Venezuela, on January 23, 1955, Lobo was also the author of important literary works. He wrote two novels for journalists —Isla África and El día en que muerto Kapuscinski—, a memoir book —Todos náufragos—, and several books of reports —The Non-Existent Hero, Kabul Notebooks and The Grozny Hitchhiker-, as well as an essay during the pandemic -Evanescent cities-.
As El País explains, “in a race against time and disease”, Ramón Lobo dedicated the last weeks of his life to finishing a book that began as a reflection on the death of his mother, Maud Leyder, “and ended mutating into a work about its own end”.
The writer and journalist, with a degree in Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid, also spent his professional career in media such as Radio Intercontinental, Heraldo de Aragón, La Voz de América, Expansión, Cinco Días and El Sol.
He also collaborated with eldiario.es, El Periódico, InfoLibre and Cadena Ser. In the latter medium, he appeared in recent years on the program A vivir que son dos días. She had to leave after being diagnosed with cancer, but she returned promptly a few weeks ago to the delight of her listeners.
In 2001, he was awarded the XVIII Cirilo Rodríguez journalism prize and three years ago, in 2020, he was awarded an Honoris Causa Doctorate by the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.
There are many many, both professional colleagues and followers and readers, who have mourned the death of Ramón Lobo, an admired and loved journalist.
