Luis García Montero (born 4 December 1958) is a Spanish poet and literary critic, as well as a professor of

Spanish Literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wi ...

at the

University of Granada The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Ap ...

Biography

Descended from a '' granadino'' family that was very active in the community, Luis García Montero was born in Granada in 1958 as the son of Luis García López and Elisa Montero Peña, and studied at the Colegio Dulce Nombre de María- PP.Escolapios in Granada. As a teenager, he was a fan of ''

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

'' sports and had the opportunity to meet Blas de Otero. He studied ''Philosophy and literature'' at the

, where he was a student of Juan Carlos Rodríguez Gómez, a social literature theorist. He received his Masters in 1980 and later became a doctorate in 1985 with a thesis about

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numerou ...

, ''La norma y los estilos en la poesía de Rafael Alberti'' or ''The norm and styles of Rafael Alberti's poetry''. He maintained a great friendship with Alberti, a poet of the

Generation of '27 The Generation of '27 ( es, Generación del 27) was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. ...

, and prepared a compilation of all his works of poetry. He began to work as an associate professor at the University of Granada in 1981. He received the Premio Adonáis de Poesía in 1982 for ''El jardín extranjero''. He created a memoir of his studies in 1984 about ''El teatro medieval. Polémica de una inexistencia'' or ''Medieval theatre. Controversy of an inexistence''. He became linked to the poetic group ''La Otra Setimentalidad'' (''The Other Sentimentality''), a wave in which contemporary Spanish poetry took the name of its first joint book, published in 1983, in which poets Javier Egea and Álvaro Salvador also participated. The poetics of the group remained reflected above all in this short book and in lesser part in his manifesto ''Manifiesto albertista'' (1982) by Luis García Montero and Javier Egea. Their personal trajectory began widening in what would later become known as ''poesía de la experiencia'' or ''poetry of the experience'' and is characterized by the general tendency to dillude the most personal ''I'' in the collective experience, furthering itself from the stylistic and thematic individuality of previous Novísimos authors; Garía and his group, however, tried to relate themselves with the previous poetic tradition taking in the postulates

Luis Cernuda Luis Cernuda Bidón (September 21, 1902 – November 5, 1963) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. During the Spanish Civil War, in early 1938, he went to the UK to deliver some lectures and this became the start of an exile t ...

and

Jaime Gil de Biedma Jaime Gil de Biedma y Alba (13 November 1929 – 8 January 1990) was a Spanish post-Civil War poet. He was born in Nava de la Asunción on 13 November 1929. He stopped writing poetry some ten years before his death. He insisted that the charact ...

and tried to unite the aesthetics of Antonio Machado with the thinking of the Generation of the '50s, as well as with Surrealism and the impactful images of Spanish Baroque poets or those of

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

. Garía Montero's most distinguishable characteristic is the history-biographical narrativism of his poems; a structure almost theatrical or novelistic with a character or protagonist that tells or lives his story through recollection, memory or desire. His poetry is characterized by a colloquial language and by his reflections regarding every day events or situations. He's edited ''Rimas'' (''Rhymes'') by

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida (17 February 1836 – 22 December 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (), was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer (mostly short stories), also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented ...

, among other theoretical works. He has also cultivated the art of essay writing and is an opinion columnist. Between the award-winning poetics that he's received, the most impressive have been the Premio Federico García Lorca, the

Premio Loewe The and its twin the are sedans sold in Japan from 2001 to 2021 by Toyota. The sedans are designated as a compact car by Japanese dimension regulations and the exterior dimensions do not change with periodic updates. Unlike Toyota's other v ...

, the Premio Adonáis of poetry and the Premio Nacional de Poesía with which he was awarded in 1995, and the Premio Nacional de la Crítica in 2003. In 2010 he was awarded in Mexico the Premio Poetas del Mundo Latino for his literary career. Since 1994 he has shared his life with writer

Almudena Grandes María de la Almudena Grandes Hernández (7 May 1960 – 27 November 2021) was a Spanish writer. Author of 13 novels and three short-story collections, her work has been translated into twenty languages and frequently adapted to film. She won t ...

and has three children. Since he was very young he has been an active member in the PCE and, since its foundation, in the United Left. In the

2004 European Parliament election The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but electe ...

he was a United Left candidate. Prior to the

2011 Spanish general election The 2011 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 20 November 2011, to elect the 10th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Senate. An ele ...

he declared his support for United Left. In October 2012 it was announced that he would take on a key role in

Izquierda Abierta Izquierda Abierta ( en, Open Left, IA) is a left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing ...

, a new party led by Gaspar Llamazares and Montse Muñoz that was part of the United Left coalition. On 22 October 2008 Luis García Montero was condemned for a libel case in writing an article calling professor José Antonio Fortes "disturbed." While in his classes at the University of Granada and in writing, Fortes called

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

a fascist and the exiled writer Francisco Ayala a Nazi. García Montero asked for unpaid leave as a lecturer of said university. García Montero ran first in the United Left Community of Madrid–The Greens list for the 2015 regional election in the Community of Madrid, failing to obtain a seat.

Awards

* Premio Adonáis de Poesía, for ''El jardín extranjero''. (1982) *

, for ''Habitaciones separadas''. (1994) * Premio Nacional de Poesía, for ''Habitaciones separadas''. (1995) * Premio Nacional de la Crítica, for ''La intimidad de la serpiente''. (2003) * Premio Poetas del Mundo Latino, for his career. (2010)

Controversies

On 22 October 2008 Luis García Montero was condemned for an injuries case against José Antonio Fortes, professor at the University of Granada. The poet in an article published in El País called the professor Fortes disturbing for claiming that Lorcan poetry had been served as an ideological breeding ground for fascist poetry. In other writings, Fortes had attacked Francisco Ayala,

Antonio Muñoz Molina Antonio Muñoz Molina (born 10 January 1956) is a Spanish writer and, since 8 June 1995, a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy. He received the 1991 Premio Planeta, the 2013 Jerusalem Prize, and the 2013 Prince of Asturias Award for lit ...

Joaquín Sabina Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina (born 12 February 1949) is a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and poet. His songs usually treat about love, heartbreaks and society with a large usage of literary figures similarly to the baroque-literature st ...

and

, as fascist writers or Capitalism sellers. The judge Miguel Ángel Torres - famous for the known Malaya urbanistic corruption case-, sentenced Luis García Montero to pay a fine of €1,800 as well as another €3,000 to the professor Fortes for serious publicity injuries. The poet referred to Fortes as an "indecent fool", and "disturbed", and in a meeting with other members of the Department he called him a "son of a bitch" and an "asshole". Although he thanked the many institutional and personal solidarity displays, García Montero announced a short time afterward a request for a leave of absence from the lecturer post that he had at the

, in which he entered as a professor in 1981. He renounces that he left a year later because he found the university Department environment "unbreathable". One other controversy, this one related to the Premio de Poesía "Ciudad de Burgos" (2012), appeared published in at least three Spanish newspapers. Thus the ''Diario de Burgos'' titled it: "Una polémica decisión del jurado cuestiona la limpieza del Premio "Ciudad de Burgos" while ''El Correo de Burgos'' said "La polémica se sirve en verso" ("Controversy served in verse"). ''El Ideal de Granada'' also picked up the news with the headline: "Polémica en el premio 'Ciudad de Burgos', otorgado al poeta granadino Daniel Rodríguez Moya" ("'Ciudad de Burgos' prize controversy awarded to ''granadino'' poet Daniel Rodríquez Moya").

Poetic works

*''Y ahora ya eres dueño del Puente de Brooklyn'', Granada, University (Zumaya collection), 1980, Premio Federico García Lorca. *''Tristia'', in collaboration with Álvaro Salvador, Melilla, Rusadir, 1982. *''El jardín extranjero'', Madrid, Rialp, ( Premio Adonáis), 1983 (''... Poemas de Tristia'', Madrid, Hiperión, 1989). *''Rimado de ciudad'', Granada town hall, 1983. *''Égloga de dos rascacielos'', Granada, Romper el Cerco, 1984 (2ª ed. Madrid, Hiperión, 1989). *''En pie de paz'', Granada, Editions of the Committee of Solitarity with Central America, 1985. *''Seis poemas del mar (autógrafos)'', iotinto? Pliegos de Mineral, 1985. *''Diario cómplice'', Madrid, Hiperión, 1987. *''Anuncios por palabras'', Málaga, Plaza de la Marina, 1988. *''Secreto de amistad'', Málaga, I. B. Sierra Bermeja, 1990. *''Las flores del frío'', Madrid, Hiperión, 1990. *''En otra edad'', Málaga, Librería Anticuaria El Guadalhorce, 1992. *''Fotografías veladas de la lluvia'', Valladolid, El Gato Gris, 1993. *''Habitaciones separadas'', Madrid, Visor, 1994: (Premio Loewe y Premio Nacional de Literatura) *''Además'', Madrid, Hiperión, 1994. *''Quedarse sin ciudad'', Palma de Mallorca, Monograma, 1994. *''Casi cien poemas (1980-1996): antología'', prologue by José Carlos Mainer, Madrid, Hiperión, 1997. *''Completamente viernes'', Barcelona, Tusquets, 1998. *''Antología personal'', Madrid, Visor, 2001. *''Poemas'', Santander, Ultramar, 2001. *''Antología poética'', Madrid, Castalia, 2002. *''Poesía urbana (antología 1980-2002)''; study and selections by Laura Scarano, Sevilla, Renacimiento, 2002. *''La intimidad de la serpiente'', Barcelona, Tusquets, 2003, Premio Nacional de la Crítica 2003. *''Poesía (1980-2005)''; ocho libros ordenados y reunidos, Barcelona, Tusquets, 2006. *''Infancia''; Málaga, Castillian collection from English, 2006. *''Vista cansada'', Madrid, Visor, 2008 *''Canciones,'' edition by Juan Carlos Abril, Valencia, Pre-Textos, 2009 *''Un invierno propio'', Madrid, Visor, 2011 *''Ropa de calle'', Madrid, Cátedra, 2011

Essays and article collections(selection)

*''La otra sentimentalidad'', together with Javier Egea and Álvaro Salvador, Granada, Don Quijote, 1983. *''La norma y los estilos en la poesía de Rafael Alberti'' (1920-1939), Granada, Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Granada, 1986. *''Poesía, cuartel de invierno'', Madrid Hiperión, 1988 (2nd ed. Barcelona, Seix-Barral, 2002). *''Confesiones poéticas'', Granada, Diputación Provincial, 1993. *''La palabra de Ícaro (literary studies about García Lorca and Alberti)'', Granada, Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Granada, 1996. *''Lecciones de poesía para niños inquietos'' (Illustrations by Juan Vida), Granada, Editorial Comares, 1999: The book is aimed directly toward young readers and intends to show them what poetry consists of. *''El sexto día : historia íntima de la poesía española'', Madrid, Debate, 2000. *''Gigante y extraño : las "Rimas" de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer'', Barcelona, Tusquets, 2001. *''Los dueños del vacío. La conciencia poética, entre la identidad y los vínculos'', Barcelona, Tusquets, 2006. *''Inquietudes bárbaras'', Barcelona,

Anagrama Anagrama is a Spanish publisher founded in 1969 by Jorge Herralde. In 2010 it was sold to the Italian publisher Feltrinelli. Since 1969, Anagrama has published over 3,500 titles. currently, Anagrama publishes around 100 books annually, between t ...

, 2008.

Novela

* In 2009 he published his first novel, ''Mañana no será lo que Dios quiera'', about the life of the poet Ángel González, who died in 2008. For this book he received the Premio del Gremio de Libreros al Mejor libro of 2009. * In 2012 he published his second novel ''No me cuentes tu vida'' (''Don't tell me your life''), in which he reflects throughout three generations about the recent history of Spain.

Other books

He also published a book of narrative mistakes about his infancy (''Luna del sur'', Sevilla: Renacimiento, 1992), a novel together with

Felipe Benítez Reyes Felipe Benítez Reyes (born 1960) is a prolific Spanish writer. He was born in Rota, Cadiz, where he lives to this day. Biography He studied at the University of Cádiz and University of Seville. His literary output spans multiple genres, incl ...

(''Impares, fila 13'', Barcelona: Planeta, 1996) and the children's book ''La mudanza de Adán'' (''Adam's moving'') (Madrid: Anaya, 2002). His short story ''Dedicatoria'' has been included in the book
''Las musas de Rorschach''
(Logroño: Editorial Buscarini, 2008). At a conference, his work was dedicated at the

Autonomous University of Madrid The Autonomous University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; UAM), commonly known as simply la Autónoma, is a Spanish public university located in Madrid, Spain. The university was founded in 1968 alongside the Autonomous Univers ...

in 2008 and with more financial contributions than any other writer or critic, ''El romántico ilustrado. Images by Luis García Montero'', Juan Carlos Abril and Xelo Candel Vila Edition, Sevilla, Renacimiento, 2009.

References

External links

English
Luis García Montero, some poems translated in English in WordsWithoutBorders.org
Spanish
Official site of poet Luis García MonteroSpace dedicated to Luis García Montero in the Cervantes Virtual LibraryBiography in ''El poder de la palabra''Poems by Luis García Montero in regards to poetic creationOverview of the work "Los dueños del vacío" by Luis García Montero

Interviews and documentaries about Luis García Montero

Interview in Espacio de Libros
October 2012.
Radio interview in the Programa Señales de Humo
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160306021553/http://blogs.larioja.com/ciudaddelhombre/2008/6/25/entrevista-luis-garcia-montero/ Interview in Diario La Rioja: "No me gustaría dejar de escribir a los 50"*
Luis García Montero, documentary and interview of the thesis program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Montero, Luis 1958 births University of Granada alumni 20th-century Spanish poets People from Granada Living people Spanish male poets 21st-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish male writers