Emilio Prados
Encyclopedia
Emilio Prados was a Spanish
poet
and editor
, a member of the Generation of '27
.
n city of Málaga
in 1899, Prados was offered a place at Madrid
's famous Residencia de estudiantes
in 1914 and moved into its university section in 1918. Here he met Lorca
, Dalí
, Buñuel
and many other young people who were to become celebrated and influential figures in Spanish art and literature.
In 1921 a long-running lung complaint forced him to retire to a sanatorium in Davosplatz, Switzerland
, where he spent most of the year. In this enforced seclusion from wider society he read widely in European literature and settled upon becoming a writer himself. Emerging from the sanatorium in 1922, he resumed his academic training: taking courses at the universities of Freiburg
and Berlin
; visiting museums and art galleries across Germany
; immersing himself in the artistic culture of Paris
and meeting, amongst others, Pablo Picasso
.
In the summer of 1924 he returned to Málaga, where he continued writing. Together with Manuel Altolaguirre
he founded the magazine Litoral, one of the most influential literary and artistic publications of 1920s Spain. In 1925 he became an Editor for the Sur printing-house, again working closely with Altolaguirre. Sur was responsible for publishing most of the work of the Generation of '27
, and the quality of their editing brought Prados and Altolaguirre international prestige.
At the same time as he was working in literature and pursuing his own creative talents, Prados took an increasing interest in social affairs and politics, particularly the marginalisation of the poorest sectors of society. The climate of violence in Málaga after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
in 1936 led him to return to Madrid, where he joined the Alianza de Intelectuales Antifascistas and began contributing enthusiastically to the intellectual side of the Republican cause. As well as publishing his own works (his compilation of war poetry, Destino fiel, won the National Literature Prize in 1938), he edited various books including Homenaje al poeta Federico García Lorca and Romancero general de la guerra de España.
He moved to Barcelona
in 1938 and took charge, again with Altolaguirre, of the publications of the Republican Ministry of Public Instruction. However, as a prominent Republican he was soon forced to flee Spain altogether as the Nationalists won victory in the Civil War. He escaped to Paris and then, early in July 1939, in the company of a variety of other intellectual Republican figures, to Mexico
, where he lived until his death in 1962.
and surrealist
elements with his own Arabic/Andalusian roots.
Political poetry, 1932 - 1938: Prados devotes himself to outspokenly social and political poetry, developing these themes using surrealist language.
Poetry from exile, 1939 - 1962: Prados's later poetry carries a profound sense of rootlessness and solitude. Thematically his work becomes much denser and more philosophical, addressing the complexity of concepts such as new life, solidarity and love.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, a member of the Generation of '27
Generation of '27
The Generation of '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. Their first formal meeting took place in Seville in 1927 to mark the 300th...
.
Life
Born in the AndalusiaAndalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n city of Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in 1899, Prados was offered a place at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's famous Residencia de estudiantes
Residencia de estudiantes
The Residencia de Estudiantes, literally the "Student Residence", is one of the original Spanish cultural centers in Madrid, Spain. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Residence was a prestigious cultural institution that helped foster and create the intellectual environment of...
in 1914 and moved into its university section in 1918. Here he met Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
, Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
, Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
and many other young people who were to become celebrated and influential figures in Spanish art and literature.
In 1921 a long-running lung complaint forced him to retire to a sanatorium in Davosplatz, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he spent most of the year. In this enforced seclusion from wider society he read widely in European literature and settled upon becoming a writer himself. Emerging from the sanatorium in 1922, he resumed his academic training: taking courses at the universities of Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; visiting museums and art galleries across Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
; immersing himself in the artistic culture of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and meeting, amongst others, Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
.
In the summer of 1924 he returned to Málaga, where he continued writing. Together with Manuel Altolaguirre
Manuel Altolaguirre
Manuel Altolaguirre was a Spanish poet, an editor, publisher, and printer of poetry, and a member of the Generation of '27.-Biography:...
he founded the magazine Litoral, one of the most influential literary and artistic publications of 1920s Spain. In 1925 he became an Editor for the Sur printing-house, again working closely with Altolaguirre. Sur was responsible for publishing most of the work of the Generation of '27
Generation of '27
The Generation of '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. Their first formal meeting took place in Seville in 1927 to mark the 300th...
, and the quality of their editing brought Prados and Altolaguirre international prestige.
At the same time as he was working in literature and pursuing his own creative talents, Prados took an increasing interest in social affairs and politics, particularly the marginalisation of the poorest sectors of society. The climate of violence in Málaga after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
in 1936 led him to return to Madrid, where he joined the Alianza de Intelectuales Antifascistas and began contributing enthusiastically to the intellectual side of the Republican cause. As well as publishing his own works (his compilation of war poetry, Destino fiel, won the National Literature Prize in 1938), he edited various books including Homenaje al poeta Federico García Lorca and Romancero general de la guerra de España.
He moved to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1938 and took charge, again with Altolaguirre, of the publications of the Republican Ministry of Public Instruction. However, as a prominent Republican he was soon forced to flee Spain altogether as the Nationalists won victory in the Civil War. He escaped to Paris and then, early in July 1939, in the company of a variety of other intellectual Republican figures, to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where he lived until his death in 1962.
Work
Early work, 1925 - 1928: Prados's poetry highlights in particular the relationship between the natural world and the otherness of being, mixing avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
and surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
elements with his own Arabic/Andalusian roots.
- Tiempo
- Veinte poemas en verso
- Seis estampas paraun rompecabezas
- Canciones del farero
- Vuelta
- El misterio del agua
Political poetry, 1932 - 1938: Prados devotes himself to outspokenly social and political poetry, developing these themes using surrealist language.
- La voz cautiva
- Andando, andando por el mundo
- La tierra que no alienta
- Seis estancias
- Llanto en la sangre
- El llanto subterráneo
- Tres cantos
- Homenaje al poeta Federico García Lorca contra su muerte
- Romances
- Romancero general de la guerra de España
- Cancionero menor para los combatientes
- Destino fiel (a collection of all his war poetry, won the Premio Nacional de LiteraturaPremio Nacional de LiteraturaA number of countries offer a National Prize for Literature :* National Prize for Literature * National Prize for Literature * National Prize for Literature...
in 1938)
Poetry from exile, 1939 - 1962: Prados's later poetry carries a profound sense of rootlessness and solitude. Thematically his work becomes much denser and more philosophical, addressing the complexity of concepts such as new life, solidarity and love.
- Mínima muerte
- Jardín cerrado
- Memoria del olvido
- Penumbras
- Río natural
- Circuncisión del sueño
- Signos del ser