Federico Mayor Zaragoza was born in Barcelona in 1934. Among other political responsibilities, Professor Mayor has held the positions of Minister of Education and Science (1981-82) and Deputy to the European Parliament (1987). In 1987, he was elected Director General of UNESCO, and was re-elected in 1993 for a second term. Upon his return to Spain, he created the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, of which he is President. In addition to his numerous scientific publications, Professor Federico Mayor has published four poems, A contraviento (1985), Aguafuertes (1991), El fuego y la esperanza (1996) and Terral (1997) and several books of essays.