After working briefly as a journalist at age eighteen, Michael Gamarra partially completed a law degree while living in Montevideo, and in 1969 received a Certificate of Proficiency in English Language and Literature from Cambridge University. In Australia Gamarra has worked mainly in the editorial and printing fields, founding the journal
Version. Working in Sydney for a few years, he contributed to Spanish language newspapers and published some short stories. In 1992 he was working as editor of
Hontanar, a monthly Spanish literary periodical. He has based some of his published short stories on the experiences of Spanish-speaking migrants in Australia. In 1992, he won third place in the Sydney Spanish Club Prose Prize. Since 1990, he has read his work on 2EA's Spanish radio program and continues to edit
Hontanar, which was revived as a digital publication in 2003.
