Family and friends give final goodbye to writer Peter Viertel

The City Hall will propose that a street of the municipality to carry his name

By EFE. - MARBELLA
Last update November 7, 2007

Family and friends said good-bye yesterday to writer and screenwriter Peter Viertel, who died Sunday in Marbella at the age of 86. A ceremony of intimate character was given for the honored author, whose mortal remainders were cremated at the Virgin cemetery of the Carmen.

During the funeral, friends of Viertel recalled this author of motion pictures such as "The African Queen" directed by John Huston, or read poems of his mother.

The ceremony had the assistance of two officials of the United States Army in which Viertel served as a marine, coming from the base of Broken and whose presence was organized by the American embassy. To the stepdaughter of Viertel, Francesca Shrapner, the folded flag of his country was given.

Among the personalities that gave the last good-bye were Marisa of Bourbon, María Luisa of Prussia and her husband the count Rudy, as well as the councilman of Culture in the City Hall of Marbella, Carmen Díaz, that announced that the government team will propose that a street of the municipality carry the name of Viertel.

The town Council Marbella approved in September to baptize a street of the city with the name of the famous actress Deborah Kerr, wife of Viertel, that passed away three weeks before in United Kingdom.

At the funeral of the screenwriter also attended Aline Griffith, widowed countess of Romanones, that recalled that she was the person that brought to Marbella Viertel and Kerr in the late 1960s. Also emphasized was the "marvelous sense of humor" and the love of animals by the writer. "By his great sympathy, by his love to Spain and by his sense of humor friend made of the entire world" affirmed Griffith.

The former director of the Hotel The Hunters and of the school of hotel business The Cónsula, Rafael of the Source, he said that the writer and his wife "they have been very important" for Marbella and assured that "never they are going to leave us, because people like they ennoble and they make better the place where they live".

It was explained that, although American of German origin, Viertel "was of very Andalusian heart." Born in Dresden (Germany) in 1920, Viertel was settled from the late 1960s in Marbella, where great part of the year he resided with his wife.