Born in Madrid, Spain, Daniel Martin was educated in French schools from ages six through nineteen. At the age of twenty-eight, he moved to America where he became a U.S. citizen. In the United States, he received his Ph.D. in romance languages and literatures from Yale University in 1974. He taught French at the University of Massachusetts for nearly thirty years and retired a few years ago.

He is the author of various books and articles in English, French, and Spanish.