Luis Rosales facts for kids

Luis Rosales Camacho (born May 31, 1910 – died October 24, 1992) was an important Spanish poet and essay writer. He was part of a group of writers known as the Generation of '36.

Luis Rosales was born in Granada, Spain. He became a member of the Hispanic Society of America and the Royal Spanish Academy in 1962. For his amazing writing, he won the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1982. This is one of the most important literary awards in the Spanish language. He passed away in Madrid in 1992 when he was 82 years old.

Luis Rosales's Life Story

Luis Rosales was born in Granada in 1910 into a traditional family. When he was young, he started learning about literature. He became good friends with artists from the Gallo magazine, like Federico García Lorca.

In 1930, he gave his first poetry reading in Granada, which was a big success. Soon after, he began studying Philosophy and Law at the University of Granada.

Moving to Madrid and New Friends

In 1932, Luis Rosales moved to Madrid to continue his studies in Philology. There, he became friends with famous poets like Pedro Salinas and Jorge Guillén. They introduced him to Los Cuatro Vientos, a magazine that featured many great thinkers of that time.

In this magazine, in April 1933, Luis Rosales published his first poems: Eclogue of sleep and Ode of anxiety. He continued to publish his poems in other magazines like Cruz y Raya and Caballo Verde para la Poesía. The poet Pablo Neruda directed Caballo Verde para la Poesía.

In Madrid, he also met other poets like Juan and Leopoldo Panero, and Luis Felipe Vivanco. These writers, along with Dionisio Ridruejo, formed what is now called the Generation of '36. They shared similar ideas, including strong Catholic beliefs and traditional social views.

The Spanish Civil War's Impact

In August 1936, the Spanish civil war began. Federico García Lorca, a close friend of Rosales, sought safety at the Rosales family home. However, Lorca was arrested and later executed. Luis Rosales, despite his friendship with Lorca and his own family's influence, could not prevent this.

Another friend, Joaquín Amigo, was also killed during the war. These two sad events deeply affected Luis Rosales and influenced his writing. His works, like A face in each wave, show the impact of these losses.

In 1937, he published a poem called «The voice of the dead» in the newspaper Patria. This poem was very important because it honored all victims of the war, no matter which side they were on. It did not celebrate any victory.

Later Life and Career

After the war, Rosales worked for several newspapers and magazines. He was the director of Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos. Later, he directed Nueva Estafeta, a unique magazine that published works in different languages of Spain, like Spanish, Catalan, Basque, and Galician.

Over time, his political views changed from more traditional ideas to supporting democracy.

The famous poet Pablo Neruda once said that Luis Rosales became a "serious poet" and a "lord of languages." He admired how Rosales recovered from the difficult times in Spain through his quiet work and writing.

In 1962, Luis Rosales became a member of the Hispanic Society of America and the Royal Spanish Academy. He gave his official entrance speech in 1964.

He also played an active role in supporting the return of the monarchy in Spain. He encouraged different political groups to work together for this cause.

Although he lived in Madrid since 1968, he spent his summers in Cercedilla. This is where he wrote many of his poetry books. In 1982, he received the Cervantes Prize, the highest literary award in the Spanish language.

From 1986 to 1992, he regularly wrote for the newspaper ABC. He wrote about music, painting, and literature. He passed away in Madrid on October 24, 1992, at the age of 82.

Luis Rosales's Writings

Luis Rosales wrote many important books of poetry and essays.

His book Abril (1935) was published just before the Spanish Civil War. It showed a style of poetry that was similar to earlier generations, focusing on beautiful images. He liked using classic poetry forms, especially from the Golden Age of Spanish literature. A new and expanded version of this book, called Segundo Abril, was published in 1972.

His most famous work is La casa encendida (The Lit House), first published in 1949. Critics consider this his best work. He later revised and expanded it in 1967. This book is like a long poem written in free verse. In it, Rosales mixes feelings, stories, deep thoughts, and imagination. It shows a new and personal way of writing poetry.

Between 1937 and 1951, he worked on Rimas (1951). In this book, he wrote short poems, showing how skilled he was with different poetic forms.

His essays include Cervantes y la libertad (1960) and Pasión y muerte del Conde de Villamediana (1962). His later works often combined lyrical (emotional) and narrative (storytelling) styles.

In 1970, he won the Critics' Prize for his book The Content of the Heart. In 1972, he received the Miguel de Unamuno Prize for his essay Garcilaso, Camoens and the Spanish Lyric of the Golden Age.

His Complete Work has been published in six volumes by Editorial Trotta.

Poetic Style

Luis Rosales's poetry changed over time. It started with a more classic style and then moved towards a unique style that was almost like surrealism.

Generally, Rosales's writing style is known for:

• Being very skilled in poetry techniques.
• Creating poems that feel simple and heartfelt.
• Being able to use both rhymed and free verse easily.
• Using few adjectives, which makes the main ideas of things stand out.

His poetry is often called "the poetry of everyday life." Love is a calm and constant theme in all his works. He also wrote a lot about memory and remembering things. After the war, his poems also showed a strong religious feeling.

Literary Awards

Luis Rosales received many important awards for his writing:

• National Poetry Prize 1951
• Mariano de Cavia Award 1962
• Critics Award 1970 for The Content of the Heart
• Miguel de Unamuno Award 1972
• National Essay Award 1973
• José Lacalle Award 1975
• City of Melilla International Poetry Prize 1981
• Fray Luis de León-Ciudad de Salamanca 1982 Chair of Poetry Award
• Miguel de Cervantes Prize 1982
• Medal of honor from the Rodríguez Acosta Foundation (1986)

Complete Literary Work

Editorial Trotta has published his Complete Works (Obra Completa) in six volumes:

• Poesía ISBN: 978-84-8164-113-4
• Cervantes y la libertad ISBN: 978-84-8164-131-8
• Estudios sobre el Barroco ISBN: 978-84-8164-153-0
• Ensayos de filosofía y literatura ISBN: 978-84-8164-206-3
• La obra poética del conde de Salinas ISBN: 978-84-8164-236-0
• La mirada creadora. Pintura, música y otros temas ISBN: 978-84-8164-274-2

Images for kids

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  A plaque with a quote by Luis Rosales.

See also

In Spanish: Luis Rosales para niños