Ian Gibson (born 21 April 1939) is an Irish author and

Hispanist Hispanism (sometimes referred to as Hispanic studies or Spanish studies) is the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, principally that of Spain and Hispanic America. It may also entail studying Spanish language an ...

known for his biographies of the poet

Antonio Machado Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz (26 July 1875 – 22 February 1939), known as Antonio Machado, was a Spanish poet and one of the leading figures of the Spanish literary movement known as the Generation ...

, the artist

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, the bibliographer Henry Spencer Ashbee, the filmmaker

Luis Buñuel Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish and Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians and directors to be one of the greatest and ...

, and particularly his work on the poet and playwright

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

, for which he won several awards, including the 1989

James Tait Black Memorial Prize The James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are literary prizes awarded for literature written in the English language. They, along with the Hawthornden Prize, are Britain's oldest literary awards. Based at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Un ...

for biography. His work, ''La represión nacionalista de Granada en 1936 y la muerte de Federico García Lorca'' (''The Nationalist Repression of Granada in 1936 and the Death of Federico García Lorca'') was banned in Spain under

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

. Born in Dublin to a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

family, he was educated at Newtown School in

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

and graduated from

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

. He taught modern Spanish literature at

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

before moving to Spain. His first novel, ''Viento del Sur'' (''Wind of the South'', 2001), written in Spanish, examines class, religion, family life, and public schools in British society through the fictitious autobiography of a character named John Hill, an English linguist and academic. It won favourable reviews in Spain. Gibson has also worked in television on projects centering on his scholarly work in Spanish history, having served as a historical consultant and even acting in one historical drama. He was granted a Spanish passport (citizenship) in 1984. Gibson narrated a two-part documentary for BBC2 on the Great Famine of Ireland in 1995. He appeared in a honorary position in the list proposed by Podemos, Alianza Verde and independents to the 2023 local elections in

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

. In 2024 he was named Honorary President of the Iberian Society, the main association of this socio-cultural movement, after his public declarations in favor of

Iberism Iberism ( Aragonese, Basque, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish: ''Iberismo''; Asturian and Leonese: Iberismu; Mirandese: Eiberismo; Catalan and Occitan : ''Iberisme''), also known as pan-Iberism or Iberian federalism, is the pan-nationa ...

and the strengthening of relations between

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Publications of Ian Gibson

; Historical and/or biographical works * 1971: ''La represión nacionalista de Granada en 1936 y la muerte de Federico García Lorca'', París, 1971, Ruedo Ibérico (translated into English as ''The Death of Lorca'', London, 1972), republished in 1979. * 1978: ''El vicio inglés'', spanish translation of ''The English Vice'', London, 1978; Barcelona, 1980. * 1980: ''En busca de José Antonio'', Barcelona, 1980, Prize "Espejo" of Spain 1980.Casa del Libro

Consultado el 25 de abril de 2015. * 1982: ''La noche en que mataron a Calvo Sotelo'', Barcelona. * 1983: ''Paracuellos, cómo fue'', Barcelona.''El País'' (2005): «Paracuellos fue terrible, pero lo entiendo»

Consultado el 25 de abril de 2015. * 1985: ''Federico García Lorca'', Barcelona, translated into English as ''Federico García Lorca. A Life'' (London, 1989). * 1986: ''Queipo de Llano. Sevilla, verano de 1936'', Barcelona. * 1989: ''En Granada, su Granada... Guía a la Granada de Federico García Lorca'', Barcelona, translated into English by the author as ''Lorca's Granada. A Practical Guide'' (London, 1992). * 1992: ''España'', English translation in 1993 ''Fire in the Blood. The New Spain'', London, 1992. * 1998: ''Vida, pasión y muerte de Federico García Lorca'', Barcelona. * 1997: ''The Shameful Life of Salvador Dalí'', London, 1997. * 1999: ''Lorca-Dalí, el amor que no pudo ser'', Barcelona, 1999. * 2001: ''The Erotomaniac. The Secret Life of Henry Spencer Ashbee'', London, 2001. * 2003: ''Cela, el hombre que quiso ganar'', Madrid. * 2004: ''Dalí joven, Dalí genial'', Madrid. * 2006: ''Ligero de equipaje. La vida de Antonio Machado'', Madrid. * 2007: ''Cuatro poetas en guerra'', Barcelona. * 2008: ''El hombre que detuvo a García Lorca. Ramón Ruiz Alonso y la muerte del poeta'', Madrid. * 2009: ''Caballo azul de mi locura. Lorca y el mundo gay'', Barcelona. * 2010: ''La fosa de Lorca. Crónica de un despropósito'', Alcalá la Real. * 2013: ''Luis Buñuel. La forja de un cineasta universal'', Madrid. * 2015: ''Poeta en Granada. Paseos con Federico García Lorca'', Barcelona. * 2019: ''Los últimos caminos de Antonio Machado. De Collioure a Sevilla'', Barcelona. * 2021: ''Hacia la República Federal Ibérica. Reflexión y sueño de un hispanista irredento'', Barcelona. ; Autobiographical work * 1981: ''Un irlandés en España'', Barcelona. * 2017: ''Aventuras ibéricas. Recorridos, reflexiones e irreverencias'', Barcelona. ; Novels * 2001: ''Viento del sur. Memorias apócrifas de un inglés salvado por España'', Barcelona. * 2002: ''Yo, Rubén Darío. Memorias póstumas de un Rey de la Poesía'', Madrid. * 2012: ''La berlina de Prim'', Barcelona. ; Memories * 2023: ''Un carmen en Granada'', Barcelona.

References

Short biography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Ian 1939 births Living people 20th-century Irish biographers 21st-century Irish male writers Irish emigrants to Spain Spanish people of Irish descent Spanish male writers Spanish biographers Irish male biographers Irish Hispanists James Tait Black Memorial Prize recipients Historians of fascism People educated at Newtown School, Waterford Alumni of Trinity College Dublin 21st-century Irish biographers Historians of the Spanish Civil War Irish Anti-Francoists