Vicente Aleixandre - World Literary Awards

Profile

Gender: Male
Born: 1898-04-26 （Seville）
Died: 1984-12-14 （Madrid） age 86
Nationality: Spanish
Languages: Spanish
Residence History: Seville → Madrid

Career

Occupations: Poet
Active Years: 1924-1984
Affiliations: Real Academia Española (Seat O)
Memberships: Real Academia Española
Influenced By: Arthur Rimbaud, Lautréamont, Sigmund Freud, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Jorge Guillén
Influenced: Carlos Bousoño, Pere Gimferrer, Later poets of the Generation of '27 and subsequent Spanish poets

Education

Institution	Faculty	Department	Degree	Period	Country
Complutense University of Madrid	Faculty of Law	Department of Law	—	—	Spain

Complutense University of Madrid

Faculty of Law / Department of Law

Country: Spain

Studied law but devoted himself primarily to poetry.

Awards

Year	Award	Work	Category	Organization	Result
1977	Nobel Prize in Literature	—	—	Swedish Academy	受賞

Nobel Prize in Literature

1977

Organization: Swedish Academy

Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Nobel Prize in Literature 1 appearances

Edition 70 (1977) Winner

Works

Major Works

Ámbito

1928 Poetry

Early collection showing an incipient poet still finding his voice.

naturetradition and renewalaesthetics

Destruction or Love

1933 Poetry (Surrealism)

A collection juxtaposing destruction and love, featuring surreal imagery and free verse.

lovedestructiondream symbolism

Passion of the Earth

1935 Poetry (prose-poetry, Surrealism)

Uses earth and sea symbolism to praise nature while conveying pervasive melancholy.

beauty of naturesense of losssurreal imagery

Translations

Translated into English (included in selected collections)

Shadow of Paradise

1944 Poetry

Poems focusing on fellowship, friendliness, and spiritual unity.

fellowshipspiritual unityhope

History of the Heart

1954 Poetry

Mid-career collection exploring the journeys of the heart and inner world.

interior lifelove and memory

In a Vast Dominion

1962 Poetry

Later poetry treating cosmic perspective and the human condition in the universe.

cosmic scopehuman condition

Bibliography

Ámbito (1928)
Destruction or Love (1933)
Passion of the Earth (1935)
Shadow of Paradise (1944)
History of the Heart (1954)
In a Vast Dominion (1962)

Adaptations

1977 Swedish documentary "Poesin blev min räddning"
Sculptural monument in Plaza Mayor, Madrid
Spanish postage stamps featuring Aleixandre (including centenary series in 2001)

Translations of Works

Twenty Poems of Vicente Aleixandre (English translation, 1977)
A Longing for the Light: Selected Poems of Vicente Aleixandre (English translation, 1979)

Style & Themes

Literary Style: Surrealistic imageryfree verse and prose-poetrysymbolic and visionary depiction
Recurring Motifs: earthsealovemelancholycosmic perspective

Legacy

Aleixandre is a major figure in 20th-century Spanish poetry and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1977. He is credited with renewing Spanish poetic traditions through surrealist techniques and cosmic/existential themes. He is commemorated in monuments and postage stamps and is a symbolic figure in Spanish culture.

Academic Societies

Real Academia Española

In Popular Culture

1977 documentary 'Poesin blev min räddning'
Bust/monument in Madrid
Commemorative postage stamps (including 2001 centenary series)

Quotes

for a creative poetic writing which illuminates man's condition in the cosmos and in present-day society, at the same time representing the great renewal of the traditions of Spanish poetry between the wars

Source: The Nobel Prize in Literature citation (1977) (1977)

Trivia

Aleixandre's bisexuality was known within his circle but he never publicly acknowledged it.
He held Seat O of the Real Academia Española from 1950 until his death in 1984.
The Spanish government issued commemorative stamps, including a centenary series in 2001.