Juan Ramón Jiménez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Juan Ramón Jiménez
Born	Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (1881-12-23)23 December 1881 Moguer, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain
Died	29 May 1958(1958-05-29) (aged 76) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupation	poet
Nationality	Spanish
Genre	poetry
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Literature 1956
Spouse	Zenobia Camprubí
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Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (born December 23, 1881 – died May 29, 1958) was a famous Spanish poet. He wrote many beautiful poems and received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature. He won this award for his "lyrical poetry," which showed a high spirit and artistic purity in the Spanish language. One of his most important ideas was "pure poetry," which focused on the beauty of words themselves.

The Life of Juan Ramón Jiménez

Juan Ramón Jiménez was born in Moguer, a town in Andalucia, Spain, on December 23, 1881. He went to school at a Jesuit institution called San Luis Gonzaga. Later, he started studying law and painting at the University of Seville. However, he soon realized his real talent was in writing.

He decided to focus on literature, inspired by other writers like Rubén Darío. At just 18 years old, in 1900, he published his first two books. Sadly, his father passed away that same year, which made him very sad. He spent some time in France and then in a special place in Madrid to feel better.

Juan Ramón Jiménez often wrote about music and colors in his poems. He also wrote a famous prose poem about a writer and his donkey, called Platero and I (1914). This book became very popular.

In 1916, he married Zenobia Camprubí in the United States. Zenobia was also a writer and poet. She became a very important partner and helper in his life and work.

Life in Exile and Teaching

When the Spanish Civil War began, Juan Ramón and Zenobia moved to Puerto Rico in 1936. He settled there permanently in 1946. He faced another period of sadness and was hospitalized for a while.

Later, he became a professor of Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Puerto Rico. His writing greatly influenced many Puerto Rican writers. The university even named a building and a writing program after him. He also taught at the University of Miami in Florida and the University of Maryland.

Nobel Prize and Later Years

In 1956, Juan Ramón Jiménez received the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was a huge honor for his amazing poetry. However, just two days later, his wife Zenobia passed away from cancer. He was heartbroken and never fully recovered from losing her.

Juan Ramón Jiménez died two years later, on May 29, 1958, in the same clinic where his wife had died. Both he and Zenobia are buried in his hometown of Moguer, Spain.

Even though he was mostly known for his poetry, his prose book Platero y yo ("Platero and I") was very popular. He also worked with his wife to translate a play called Riders to the Sea. He wrote a huge amount of poetry throughout his life. Some of his well-known works include Sonetos espirituales (Spiritual Sonnets) and Piedra y cielo (Stones and Sky).

Juan Ramón Jiménez and Zenobia Camprubí used a slightly different way of spelling Spanish words than the official RAE standard.

Juan Ramón Jiménez on a 1980 Spanish banknote

Places Named After Him

Several streets have been named after Juan Ramón Jiménez to honor him. You can find streets named after him in cities like Madrid and Valencia.

His Books and Poems

Here are some of the original editions of his published works:

• I Am Not I

Translations of His Works

• Books of Love: The Lost Poems of Juan Ramon Jimenez. Athens:Kinchafoonee Creek Press, 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Ramón Jiménez para niños

• Spanish poetry
• Modernismo
• Puerto Rican poetry
• Puerto Rican literature
• Sonnet