He studied law at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and practiced as a lawyer at the Ministry of Culture and at Shell Oil.
He was active in a variety of genres: poetry, literary criticism, and translations from French.
In his memoir, Vivir para contarla, Garcia Marquez speaks positively of Martin's leadership of the school.
In 1961 Martin went to live in the Netherlands, to teach Spanish-American literature at the University of Utrecht.
He also wrote a book of poems, Epitafio sobre Piedra y Cielo y otros poemas, a reflection on his time as a piedracielista and his associations with friends and colleagues.