Juan Gelman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan Gelman
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| Born | 3 May 1930 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Died | 14 January 2014 (aged 83) Mexico City, Mexico
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| Occupation | Poet |
Juan Gelman (born May 3, 1930 – died January 14, 2014) was a famous Argentine poet. He wrote over twenty books of poetry during his life. He became a citizen of Mexico, where he lived after being forced to leave Argentina.
In 2007, Gelman won the Cervantes Prize. This is the most important award for writers in Spanish. His poems often celebrated life. They also shared his thoughts on society and politics. His writing reflected his difficult experiences in Argentina.
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A Poet's Life and Challenges
Juan Gelman Burichson was born on May 3, 1930. His birthplace was the Villa Crespo neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. When he was a boy, his brother Boris helped him read many Russian and European books.
His father, José Gelman, was a social revolutionary. He took part in the 1905 revolution in Russia. He later moved to Argentina. Juan learned to read when he was just three years old. He spent much of his childhood reading and playing soccer. He loved poetry from a very young age. His brother Boris read Russian poems to him, even though Juan didn't understand the language. Reading The Insulted and Humiliated by Dostoevsky at age eight deeply affected him.
As a young man, Juan joined several important writing groups. He later became a well-known journalist. He also worked as a translator for the United Nations. He was always very active in politics. In 1975, he became involved with the Montoneros. This was a political group in Argentina.
Forced Exile and Family Tragedy
After the 1976 Argentine coup in 1976, Juan Gelman was forced to leave Argentina. This is called going into exile. In the same year, his son Marcelo, aged 20, and his pregnant daughter-in-law, Maria Claudia, aged 19, were kidnapped from their home. They became two of the 30,000 desaparecidos. This Spanish word means "the disappeared ones." These were people who were taken by force and vanished without a trace. This happened during the time when the military ruled Argentina.
In 1990, Gelman found out what happened to his son. Marcelo had been killed and buried in a barrel. Years later, in 2000, he found his granddaughter. Her name is Macarena Gelman. She was born in a secret hospital before her mother, Maria Claudia, was killed. Macarena was given to a family in Uruguay who supported the government. Maria Claudia's remains have still not been found.
During his long exile, Gelman lived in Europe until 1988. Then he lived in the United States and later in Mexico. He lived there with his wife, Mara La Madrid, who was a psychologist from Argentina.
Awards and Later Life
In 1997, Gelman received Argentina's National Poetry Prize. This award recognized all his work as a poet. In 2007, he won the Cervantes Prize. This is a very important award for writers who write in Spanish. He also had a long and successful career as a journalist. He wrote for the Argentinian newspaper Pagina/12 until he passed away.
Juan Gelman also took legal action in Spain. He sued Uruguayan police officer Hugo Campos Hermida. This was for the "disappearance" of his daughter-in-law in Uruguay.
His Granddaughter's Story
In the early 2000s, the President of Uruguay, Jorge Batlle Ibáñez, ordered an investigation. This led to Gelman's granddaughter being found. Macarena had grown up as an adopted child. She later took her birth parents' surnames. She then began working as a human rights activist.
Passing Away
Juan Gelman passed away at age 83. He died from problems related to preleukemia. This happened at his home in Mexico City's Condesa neighborhood. His granddaughter, Macarena, flew from Uruguay to attend his funeral. Argentina's President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, declared three days of national mourning for him.
Works
Juan Gelman wrote many books of poetry and prose. Here are some of his works that have been translated into English:
Published in English translation
- Unthinkable Tenderness: Selected Poems, translated by Joan Lindgren, University of California Press, 1997
- The Poems of Sidney West, translated by Katherine M. Hedeen & Victor Rodríguez Nuñez, Salt Publishing, 2009
- Between Words: Juan Gelman Public Letter, translated by Lisa Rose Bradford, CIAL, 2010
- Commentaries and Citations, translated by Lisa Rose Bradford, Coimbra Editions, Poetry in Translation, 2011
- Nightingales again, translated by J. S. Tennant, in MPT Review, Series 3 no. 11 Frontiers, 2011
- Com/positions, translated by Lisa Rose Bradford, Coimbra Editions, Poetry in Translation, 2013
See also
In Spanish: Juan Gelman para niños
- Argentine literature
- Dirty War
