There are many reasons why Spain attracts teenagers. The environment in Spain is spontaneous and informal which makes it easy for adolescents to make friends. Additionally, the normal schedule in Spain is much more relaxed than in other countries, which is more in line with the natural rhythms of youth. The lifestyle in Spain revolves around taking in fresh air, walking and carrying out one's life in the city center. This allows teenagers in Spain to enjoy a certain freedom that they may not be able to experience elsewhere. Spanish teenagers often get together in the city center and hang out, with nothing to fear, since Spain is a very safe country.

Additionally, there are many things for teenagers in Spain to do during the year.

 

Sports and Action

Spanish teenagers have many options to practice fun activities or sports in the outdoors.

In the summer, many teenagers in Spain practice adventure sports such as canoeing, rafting or climbing. In fact, there are many companies dedicated to adventure sports in the country. In the winter, the same mountains that are alive and active in the summer become great places to ski or snowboard.

Spanish teenagers can also have fun from coast to coast in this country blessed with over 3,000 kilometers of coastline. Teenagers in Spain can surf the wild waves of the Cantabrian Sea in the north or practice windsurfing and kit-surfing in the blusterous Strait of Gibraltar.

If you prefer to watch sports rather than play them, there is no shortage of prestigious sporting events and famous athletes in Spain. Watch the Formula 1, important tennis matches or catch an exciting Real Madrid or FC Barcelona European football game… the list is endless.

 

Theme parks and Water parks

Spain has more theme parks than any other European country!

Some of the large North American studios have opened parks in Spain such as Port Aventura by Universal Studios near Barcelona, or the Warner Brothers Park in Madrid. These theme parks attract a large number of teenagers from Spain as well as families from all over Europe. Warner Brother's Park has some of the most exciting rides while Universal's Port Aventura Park, apart from its record breaking attractions, is famous for its attention to detail in the thematic areas.

Other parks are also popular with teenagers in Spain. Isla Mágica, in Seville, recreates important moments in history such as the American Conquest. Terra Mítica Park, in Alicante, is also dedicated to ancient times with various attractions and monuments from different civilizations.

Spanish teens can also enjoy some more classic amusement parks; some are over one hundred years old. These parks, such as the Parque de Atracciones de Madrid, the Parque de Atracciones del Tibidabo in Barcelona and Tívoli Park in Malaga, have been continually renovated over the years but still manage to conserve their classic appeal.

During the hot summer, teenagers in Spain can head to one of the country's many water parks. Aquópolis is particularly famous with seven parks located throughout Spain including the largest water park in Europe in Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid. Other important water parks in Spain are located in famous vacation spots such as Aqualandia in Benidorm or Aquarama in Benicasim.

 

Going out

Going out is a popular activity for teenagers in Spain because it is a great way to experience the true environment of the country. In all Spanish towns and villages it is tradition to hold festivals and other celebrations in the street including outdoor concerts, markets, fairs, firework displays, competitions, food stands, parades etc. Get swept up in all the fun celebrations in Spain, just like a Spanish teenager!

Spaniards are well known for their love of being outside where they carry out the majority of their social life. Teenagers in Spain also spend a great deal of time outdoors having drinks and tapas with friends on bar terraces before going out at night. In fact, there are many dance clubs especially for Spanish teenagers where they can hang out, dance and have fun without any alcohol served.

 

Other things to do

Teens in Spain can also take advantage of the many programs and activities offered through the city and specially designed for adolescents. Spanish teenagers can take up different sports or sign up for crafts, cooking or dancing classes. These programs are free of charge and are designed to teach Spanish youth how to have fun in a healthy and safe way.
 

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Colombia - The only risk is that you never want to leave! Colombia - The only risk is that you never want to leave! Colombia Colombia as an authentic country that feels and is very safe and where the local, helpful people proudly want to show you the country. Colombia Off <!-- Revive Adserver Etiqueta JS asincrónica - Generated with Revive Adserver v5.0.2 --><ins data-revive-zoneid="7" data-revive-id="ec923599c3fad9b044f22a6a73433428"></ins><script async src="//ads.iegrupo.com/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script> emma.metsers

In the beginning, pop music was introduced into Spain via two fundamental groups: Los Teen Tops featuring Mexican Enrique Guzmán and the Cuban-American band Los Llopis. These groups translated and recorded famous American rock and roll songs which would become very famous in Spain in the 1960s.

The Price Theatre Circus had an important role in the development of Spanish pop music. In 1962, they decided to put on Sunday matinee session in which young rock bands performed that had previously only moved around in marginal circles and had not yet signed record deals.

In this period, during the dictatorship of General Franco, this type of music was not appreciated by the leaders or the conservative public opinion, which dominated at the time. As a result, these Spanish music festivals were prohibited. However, the new rhythms had already made there way to the streets of major cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. The advancement of the new pop sounds was unstoppable.

July 1st, 1965 was an extremely important date for Spanish pop music. On this day The Beatles arrived in Spain to give two concerts in Madrid and Barcelona respectively. This event further propelled the diffusion of pop music, although it was not without controversy. In Madrid only 5,000 fans were allowed to attend the concert when the capacity of the venue was of 18,000 people. The police prevented anyone whom they thought looked suspicious or sleazy from entering the venue. The truth is that the Francoist regime was afraid that the concert would cause disturbances in the city.

But music kept evolving for decades to come. In the 80s, the so-called “Golden Age of Pop Music”, influences from new wave and punk music were arriving. These movements influenced the Madrilenian groove scene with Spanish groups like Kaka de Luxe, Alaska y Dinarama,Radio Futura and Hombres G. Similar movements occurred in the periphery of Spain with groups like Loquillo in Catalonia, Siniestro Totaland Os Resentidos in Galicia and Kortatu y La Polla Records in the Basque Country.

It is also worth mentioning that towards the end of the 70s there were many heavy metal bands. Bands like Barón Rojo or Ángeles del Infierno opened up new musical paths, albeit outside of the groove scene movement.

In the 90s the number of pop bands increased. Among them were the many singers that came out of televised music competitions in the latter part of the 90s such as the program Operación Triunfo (Triumph Operation).

Spanish Bands
 

1960s-1970s

• Los Salvajes
• Los Grimm
• Los Protones
• Los Brincos
• Fórmula V
• Miguel Rio
• Relámpagos
• Los Módulos
• Triana

 

1980s

• Alaska
• Radio Futura
• Gabinete Caligari
• Loquillo y los Trogloditas
• Duncan Dhu
• La Unión
• Martirio
• Miguel Bosé
• Olé Olé
• Seguridad Socia
• Toreros Muertos
• Os Resentidos
• Barón Rojo
• Barricada
• Ángeles del Infierno
• Ñu
• Coz
• Los Ilegales
• Nacha Pop
   

1990s

• Alejandro Sanz
• Ronaldos
• Presuntos Implicados
• Juan Perro
• Jarabe de Palo
• Héroes del Silencio
• Estopa
• Celtas Cortos
• Ketama
• Mago de Oz
• Marta Sánchez
   

2000s

• David Bisbal
• David Bustamante
• Chenoa
• La Cabra Mecánica
• Amaral
• La Mala Rodríguez
• Australian Blonde
   

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Dating back to the era of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon), Las Sevillanas consists of 3 elements: the dance, the song and the music. Since 1847 it has been the iconic dance of the annual April Seville Fair where there is even a Sevillana Dance devoted specifically to it. This dance is taught in the majority of schools across the country. The music of Las Sevillanas is heard in many other fairs and festivals in the south of the country and numerous new albums are released by local groups each year. Some examples are Los Romeros de la Puebla, Los Amigos de Gines and Los Choqueros. Many of these groups have become known internationally as well as across Spain and, nowadays, the popular Las Sevillanas is even danced to in clubs!

Las Sevillanas is characterized by its graceful yet dynamic flamenco style and is even considered by some as the ´true flamenco´. Certain purists do not even consider it as flamenco and, instead, as a separate type of dance altogether.

The dance is in ¾ or even 6/8 time, split into 4 distinctive parts which are each separated with a brief interval and can be either fast or slow however, in recent years, the dance has gradually become slower.

Supposedly one of the most difficult dances, Las Sevillanas consists of complete feet, hand and arm co-ordination. It is generally danced to in pairs of either 2 women or a man and a woman but is sometimes carried out in groups, lines, or even with 2 girls and a boy. Las Sevillanas symbolizes the four stages of a man courting a woman and the music, dance and song all come to a sudden stop at the end.

The song is normally sung by local groups and the music is light and happy with lyrics based on the countryside, the neighbourhood, the marvels of Seville, the famous annual Sevillano pilgrimage to El Rocío and, of course, like any other song, love.

The music is always accompanied by a guitar which, along with the singer, begins the song. This is then often followed by 'hand-clapping' before the dance begins. The tone of the guitar depends on the song but the guitar player generally strums lightly throughout. Sometimes, there are other typically Spanish instruments which accompany the song also such as castanets, a flute, a tambourine or a small drum.

Las Sevillanas is a clear demonstration of the varied dance culture across Spain as it is one of many traditional dances and still remains popular today, even amongst the youth. This specific form of flamenco has a long and interesting history and presumably will continue to be carried on by generations of Andalusians to come

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Many of the people of Aragon are of Iberian descent and this part of the country has great Moorish influences hence some say that the dance is, in fact, of Moorish origin. Nevertheless, there are many different variations of the dance depending on the region such as in Valencia, Castile, Navarra, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia and Murcia.

The dance is visual more than anything with dancers wearing traditional, regional costumes and the music is accompanied by castanets and generally a male and female couple dancing. In formal settings the jota is more of a theatrical display with dancers wearing more extravagant costumes. However, such things are not used in less formal, everyday settings.

The songs are based on diverse themes such as patriotism, religion, sexual exploits, love and marriage and are intended to arouse a sense of local identity and cohesion for the community. Funerals and wakes are an opportunity to dance the jota as it is often performed in watching the dead. The patriotic Aragonese believe that when a girl is dancing the jota she is able to capture the heart of any man. The dance has reached as far in the Spanish-speaking world as Paraguay and in the city of Pilar, many people join in the dance at the city’s annual festival.

The jota is a quick Spanish dance with a ¾ rhythm yet some insist that a 6/8 time is better adapted to the poetic and choreographic structure and the steps are similar to the waltz however with much more variation.

Different variations of the dance have different styles, for example the Castilian version uses guitars, bandurrias, lutes, dulzaina and drums yet the Galicians use bagpipes, drums and bombos.

Originally, the Aragonese jota had highly complicated dance steps, however the Castilian variation is much quicker but with a calmer feel. The Philippine jota was another variation during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. It was performed by Spanish men and women in social gatherings such as weddings and the Filipinos adopted this dance forming various versions combining both Spanish and Filipino choreography and music.

Several non-Spanish musicians have incorporated the jota into their music such as the French composer, Georges Bizet in his famous Spanish opera Carmen.

Like any dance, the jota has gradually developed over time and still continues to change, however this is mainly due to the dance’s complexity. Towards the end of the 19th century, the jota had become much more choreographed and it has even been used in movies and festivals. There are many modern varieties also which are performed by numerous folk groups.

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Animals

Cabestros: Cabestros are male castrated bulls or steer, of a different breed than the fighting bulls. They are tamed and used to help on toro bravo ranches. They are also trained to be used in encierros and bullfighting rings to guide the herd through the streets and into their corrals. They are easily identifiable by the bells they wear around their necks.

Tienta: Both female and male toros are tested at age two to see if they are suitable for breeding, bullfighting, or meat. Males are judged based on their aggression towards horses, as they are not allowed to confront a human on the ground until the day they enter a bullfighting ring. Females are often fully tested by a bullfighter and capes to determine their courage and suitability for breeding. Male bulls who pass the<em> tienta</em> will return to their pastures and females who pass will be used to bear offspring. Those who do not pass are slaughtered.

Novillos: Novillos are those male bulls that are less than 3 years old or do not pass the bravery and stamina test to become first rank fighting bulls. These bulls are used in novilladas to train novilleros.

Toro: a Bull - an Iberian cattle breed. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certain combination of aggression, energy, strength, stamina and intelligence. They reach maturity slower than meat breeds as they were selected to be athletic with massive muscles, especially the morillo, a complex of muscles over the shoulder and neck which gives the bull its distinctive profile and strength with its horns. The horns are longer than in most other breeds and are also present in both males and females. Mature bulls weigh from 500 to 700 kg (1100-1600 lb).

Toro de Lidia/Toro Bravo: male “macho” fighting bulls selected and bred to be used in encierros (running of the bull) and corridas de toro (bull fights).

Vaquillas/Novillas: female wild cow of the same breed as the fighting bulls between two and four years old. They are traditionally used in place of fighting bulls or novillos for capeas or encierros in village celebrations because they are much smaller and less likely to cause grave damage.

 

Bullfighters

Banderilleros/Rejoneadores: Each matador has 3 banderilleros or “Flagmen” who are also considered as toreros.

Cuadrilla: The  6 assistants of  a matador are collectively known as a cuadrilla, or an entourage: 2 picadores, 3 banderilleros, and 1 mozo de espada.

Matadores: Matador de toros literally translated as “bull killer” is the professional level of a bullfighter.

Mozo de espadas: The matador’s assistant or “sword page”. The mozo de espadas prepares and hands the matador all the equipment necessary during the corrida.

Novillero: a junior bullfighter who is still in training and has not yet been declared matador de toros. Novilleros fight novillos to gain experience. These fights usually take place in small towns and villages during their celebrations.

Picadores: Bullfighters or “Lancers,” mounted on horseback with varas (lances). During the first stage of the bullfight the picador enters the arena on horseback armed with a vara. The horse is protected from the bull by a petro, a protective mattress-like covering.

Torero: The term torero or “bullfighter” includes matadores, picadores and banderilleros.

 

Bullfight

Banderillas: Translated literally as "little flags" which are harpoon-pointed colorful sticks that are jabbed into the bull's back.

Capote: gold and magenta dress cape used in the first third of the corrida

Descabello: The act of severing the bull’s spinal cord with a vedugo.

Estocada: a quick sword thrust between the bull’s shoulder blades and through the heart. This movement is intended to result in a quick and clean death.

Faena: The third stage of the corrida performance with a muleta consisting of a series of tandas.

Indultado: A few times a year a bull will be indultado, or 'pardoned', meaning his life is spared due to 'outstanding' behavior in the bullring. The audience petitions its pardon by waving white handkerchiefs.  If pardoned, the bull is returned to the field where he will live up to 20 to 25 years and be used as a stud.

Lidiar/Torear: Verb “to bullfight” until death.

Muleta: small red cape used in the third stage of the Spanish bullfight

Paseíllo: A parade of all the toreros through the arena before a corrida.

Tanda: Series of passes between the bull and torero: a typical tanda might consist of three to five basic passes and then a finishing touch, or "remate", such as a "pase de pecho", or "pase de desprecio".

Tercios: A corrida is divided into three tercios or “thirds.”

Traje de luces: custom-made matador costume embroidered with silver or golden thread inspired by 18th century Andalusian clothing.

Vara/rejones de castigo: long lance / lances of punishment used by the rejoneadores.

Verdugo/Puntilla: a second type of sword used to severe the bull’s spinal cord to kill it instantly in the event of a failed estocada.

 

Bull events

Capeas: Organized events in which vaquillas are released in a plaza and the public can interact with them. Vaquillas are aggressive although much less dangerous than bulls.

Novilladas: Bullfights in which novilleros fight novillos to gain experience.  These fights usually take place in small towns and villages during their celebrations.

Encierro: Consists of a running of the bulls through the streets. Runners run down fenced lined streets in front of a small heard of toros, novillos or vaquillas on their way to the plaza where they will await the afternoon´s bullfight in the stalls. Cabestros are often present to guide the herd and often suffer aggressive attacks from the bravo untamed bulls.

Corrida de toros: A public spectator bullfighting event which occurs in a bullfighting ring. Normally three bullfighters confront 3 bulls each in a corrida.
 

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The corrida starts with a parade called paseíllo in which the participants enter the arena to salute the presiding dignitary.

Stage 1 - Tercio de Varas ("third of lances"). In the first stage, the bull enters the ring where it will be tested by the matador and banderilleros with the required tanda ("series of passes") using the capote. During this phase the matador observes the bull's behavior, how it charges and its ferocity.

Next, two picadores enter the arena armed with a long lance or varas and mounted on large heavily padded and blindfolded horses. When the bull attacks the horse the picador stabs just behind the morillo, a mound of muscle on the bull's neck. The manner in which the bull charges the horse also provides important clues to the matador regarding which side the bull prefers. If successful, the combination blood loss and the force exerted by the bull to lift the horse up with its neck and horns will strain the bull enough to cause it to hold its head lower during the following stages of the bullfight. This is a mandatory step in the corrida which makes the bull's charges less dangerous and more reliable, enabling the matador to perform.

Stage 2 - Tercio de banderillas (“third of flags”). In the next stage, the tercio de banderillas, the three banderilleros each attempt to plant two banderillas, or sharp barbed sticks, into the bull's shoulders. The banderillas further weaken the bull but also anger it, cause it to make more ferocious charges. Sometimes the matador places his own banderillas.

Stage 3 - Tercio de Muerte ("third of death"). In this stage, the matador re-enters the ring with a red cape or muleta stretched over a wooden dowel in one hand and a sword in the other. From the moment the first pass is performed, the matador has a total of 15 minutes to kill the bull.

The matador will perform a series of tanda, different series of passes all with specific names that make up the faena, or entire performance with the muleta. The faena ends with a series of passes in which the matador attempts to maneuver the bull into a position to kill it with an estocada, or the thrusting of the sword between the bull's shoulder blades and through the heart. A clumsy estocada can raise loud protests and destroy the whole performance.

If the matador is unsuccessful in the estocada, a descabello must be performed in which the matador uses a verdugo sword to lower the bull's head by pricking its nose and then delivers a quick thrust to the back of the bull's neck with the intention of severing its spinal cord to kill it instantly. If the bull does not die immediately a coup de grace s performed by a puntillero or cachetero in which a dagger is used to completely pierce the spinal cord.

The bull's body is then dragged out by a team of mules or horses. If the residing official is impressed with the animal, it may be drug around the arena as an honor. Very rarely, a bull may be granted an indulto, or pardon for an outstanding performance. The indulto is requested by the public by waving handkerchiefs before the estocada and must be approved by the president. If pardoned, the bull will be symbolically freed by the matador, which is a great honor. The bull will never fight again as no bull with any experience can ever be used more than once because they learn from experience and thus would be too dangerous.

If the matador has performed particularly well, the crowd may petition the president to award the matador an ear of the bull by waving white handkerchiefs. If his performance was exceptional, the president will award two, and in some rings a tail can also be awarded. If the matador won at least two ears during the corrida then he is eligible for salida en hombros, to be carried out on the shoulders of admirers.

 

Bullfighter Gorings

Bullfighting has gotten much safer over the years, especially with the introduction of padded protection for the horses and special medical surgical units for the toreros. For toreros, the most dangerous part of the corrida is when they perform the estocada. With no protection, one error can cost life of the matador. Cogidas is the word used when the torero is “gored” by the bull.

 

Bullfighting Controversy

Bullfighting has generated controversy in many parts of the world, including Spain, Portugal, Peru, Mexico and Ecuador. It was even recently prohibited in Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain. Supporters argue that it is a cultural tradition and an important source of tourism while animal rights advocates consider it a blood sport that tortures both bulls and horses.

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Since the appearance of the work in 1605 and the second part in 1615, Don Quixote of La Mancha began to be translated into most cultured European Languages which led to its increased fame year after year. Different versions of Cervantes' masterpiece began to appear in other countries like in France. Here, in 1677 a translation of Quixote by Filleu de Saint-Martin included a change of the story's end opting to prolong the ingenious gentleman's life and the title was also modified to History of the admirable Don Quixote of La Mancha.

The novel Don Quijote de La Mancha became so famous that it made the jump to other artistic outlets. Perhaps the most famous examples were the illustrations done by Gustav Doré that can be seen adorning the book covers of many current editions of the novel.

 

Don Quixote in Music

There are also many famous versions of the Don Quixote musical. In 1614, in the Louvre Palace in Paris, a ballet was presented called Don Quichotte dansé par Mme. Sautenir; one year before the second part of the novel! Following the first ballet, many operas appeared including: The Comical History of Don Quixote by Purcel, Don Chisciotte alle nozze di Gamace by Antonio Salieri, El Retablo de Maese Pedro by Manuel de Falla and more recently, Don Quijotes Abenteuer by Jean Kurt Forest. In 1895 the symphonic poem “Don Quixote” by Richard Strauss was done and in 1968 the album L'Homme de la Mancha by Jacques Brel was composed.

In 1998 a Spanish rock group called Mago de Oz (Wizard of Oz) recorded an album called La Leyenda de la Mancha (The legend of La Mancha). The record was entirely inspired by Cervantes's protagonist and includes songs such as “Molinos de Viento” (Windmills) or “La ínsula de Barataria” (Barataria Isle).

 

Don Quixote in Film and Television

Don Quixote's movies have also been inspired since the beginning of film. In 1898, French producer Gaumon filmed a short scene titled “Don Quixote” but the images were lost. The first Spanish film production of Don Quixote of La Mancha appeared in 1908 and was carried out by Narciso Cuyás.

In 1933 a Franco-British film adaptation of Don Quixote was produced. The film was directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst and would become a classic in cinema. In 1972 a cinematographic version of Quixote called Man of La Mancha was released, directed by Arthur Hiller and Peter O'Toole and Sofía Loren. In Spain, a miniseries appeared, directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón and actors Fernando Rey and Alfredo Landa playing Don Quixote and Sancho Panza respectively. Following this television series was another called El caballero Don Quijote (2002), directed by the same director and starring Juan Luis Galiardo and Carlos Iglesias.

The best Don Quixote of La Mancha was undoubtedly the cartoon series done in 1979 by Carmen Delgado. According to Televisión Española (Spain's national TV channel) the cartoon series is among the top 100 best in Spanish history, a faithful adaptation that delighted generations of young people. The main characters' voices were performed by Fernando Fernán Gómez and Antonio Ferrandis.

 

Don Quixote in Comics

The Don Quixote novel has also been a protagonist in the comic world, most notably in the version done in 2000 by Will Eisner called Quixote. In the year 2005, during the 400 year anniversary celebrations of the novel, the board of Castilla-La Mancha edited the comic book Lanza en astillero. Many authors contributed to the book with the objective of spreading the fame of the famous gentleman from La Mancha.

In 2005 the great Spanish comic (known as “"Tebeos - Spanish Comics" in Spain) writer Francisco Ibáñez published Mortadelo de La Mancha. In this work, the catastrophic secret agent Motradelo takes on the role of Don Quixote, fighting just like him in a more modern Spain. Throughout its pages, various famous Spanish politicians can be identified. The comic was a success and sold over 100,000 copies.

Surely Don Quixote of La Mancha will continue to inspire all the arts for another 400 years.

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Spanish and Latin American Literature Nobel Prize Winners

 

1904 Jose Echegaray (Spain)

Echegaray was a truly multitalented man: engineer, playwright, politician and mathematician. In mathematics, he introduced Chasles geometry, the Galois Theory and elliptic functions into Spain. As a politician, Echegaray worked in the Ministry of Finance and Development. However, h received the Nobel Prize for his work as a playwright, having written 67 plays such as The Great Galeotti (1881). The choice to award the Literature Nobel Prize to Jose Echegaray was widely criticized by other Spanish writers such as Leopoldo Alas (Clarin) and Emilia Pardo Bazan.

 

1922 Jacinto Benavente (Spain)

Jacinto Benavente was one of the most important playwrights of the early twentieth century. He also worked as a director, writer and producer in the Spanish film industry. His sharp pen told the stories of all types of human tragedies, comedies, dramas and skits. Jacinto Benavente's theatrical works were realistic, natural and plausible, albeit with certain ironic touches that livened up each play. This Spanish playwright was well appreciated in Spain during the first half of the 20th century, overshadowing the fame of Jose Echegaray.

 

945 Gabriela Mistral (Chile)

Lucila de Maria del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, known simply as Gabriela Mistral, was a poet, diplomat and educator. She also played an important role as a feminist activist in Chile. She established a very important diplomatic career in both European and American countries. The news that she had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature came when the Chilean poet was serving as a consul in the city of Petropolis, Brazil. In 1945, Gabriela Mistral became the first Latin American to ever win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

 

1956 Juan Ramon Jimenez (Spain)

Juan Ramon Jimenez was a great Spanish poet, author of the magnificent lyrical narrative called Platero and I. He was an influential author to the avant-garde youth who revered Juan Ramon as their master. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, the author found himself in exile, first in the United States and later in Puerto Rico. It was here that he became a university professor and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Three days after learning that he had won the coveted award, Jose Ramon's wife passed away, a loss he would never fully recover from. The Spanish poet would die two years later, in the same clinic as his wife, while suffering from a deep depression.

 

1967 Miguel Angel Asturias (Guatemala)

Miguel Angel Asturias is an important writer who emerged during the Latin American Literary Boom alongside figures like Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa. Among his many important novels, some of the highlights are Mr. President (1946) about a Latin American dictator and Men of Maize (1949), considered to be a masterpiece of the Magic Realism genre that achieves a perfect balance between language and narration. Miguel Angel Asturias, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, died in Madrid at the age of 74 and was buried in the famous Parisian cemetery Père Lachaise.

 

1971 Pablo Neruda (Chile)

Pablo Neruda was a Chilean author who wrote romantic poetry and won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1971. He dedicated himself to classical writing and avoided the avant-garde movements of the time. Neruda's political activism in the Chilean Communist Party led him to exile. When he returned to Chile, he was appointed as the ambassador to France by Salvador Allende in 1970. In 1973, Pablo Neruda resigned from the position due to health problems. That same year, the Chilean author died in the Santa Maria Clinic of Santiago, when the Allende government had already been overthrown by the coup of Augusto Pinochet. In fact, some theories suggest that Neruda had been assassinated via lethal injection.

 

1977 Vicente Aleixandre (Spain)

Vicente Aleixandre was a poet of the famous Generation of '27, one of the most famous Spanish literary groups of the 20th Century with other important authors such as Federico Garcia Lorca and Miguel Hernandez. Aleixandre was a member of the Spanish Royal Academy since 1950 and held the "O" chair. Throughout his life, the Spanish poet's work would adopt different styles, from surrealistic poetry to anthropocentric and social poetry. One notable example of his surrealistic work was Destruction or Love (1935).

 

1982 Gabriel García Marquez (Colombia)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was without doubt the most important Latin American author of the 20th century due to his masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude. He was born in Aracataca, Colombia in 1972 and was a writer, novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist whose work exemplified the genre of Magical Realism. One Hundred Years of Solitude is considered a classic in Latin American literature and is probably the second most translated Hispanic work after Cervante's Don Quixote.

 

1989 Camilo Jose Cela (Spain)

Camilio Jose Cela was one of the most prolific Spanish writers of the second half of the 20th century. His career took off with the jarring novel The Family of Pascual Duarte, a terrifying portrait of Spain after the Spanish Civil War. Cela's work as a writer includes long novels, short stories, essays, travel books, literary magazine pieces and more. His Majesty Juan Carlos I bestowed Camilio Cela with the title of Marquis of Iria Flavia (his birthplace). In addition to having won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1989, Cela also received the Cervante's Prize in 1995 and the Prince of Asturias Prize in Literature in 1987. In addition to all this, the Spanish writer was a member of the Royal Spanish Academy.

 

1990 Octavio Paz (Mexico)

Octavio Paz was a writer, essayist, diplomat and, most importantly, Mexican poet. He first came into contact with literature as a young boy through his grandfather. By adolescence, the future writer had discovered European poetry, especially from Spain. These poets, such as Juan Ramon Jimenez (mentioned above), would influence Octavio Paz throughout his career. During the Spanish Civil War, Paz visited Spain with an Antifascist Mexican delegation to show their support for the Republican cause. As time passed, the writer lost hope in the idea of a Marxist utopia and eventually denounced Stalin's Soviet concentration camps. Later, Octavio Paz was the Mexican Ambassador to India but resigned from his position in 1968 after the Tlateloco massacre. The Mexican author then moved to the United States where he became a university professor. Octavio Paz died in Mexico City in 1998. Paz is known for producing poetry that is difficult to classify but, as he himself admitted, his work was greatly influenced by Surrealism.

 

2010 Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)

Mario Vargas Llosa, a Spanish language writer and latest Spanish speaking winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is also one of the most prolific novelists of all time. His very experimental prose envelops readers with the contradictions of the individual in the fight for survival. Llosa's novels are carefully structured, which the titles of his works imply: Conversation in the Cathedral, The Green House, The Time of the Hero; structures that encase the individual. They are also works that investigate history, from his own past in Lima (Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter) to more general history (The Feast of the Goat or The Dream of the Celt), but they are always centered around the individual. Mario Vargas Llosa is also a member of the Royal Spanish Academy.

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Born in Moguer, Huelva of Andalucia, on December 24th, 1881 Jiménez had constant contact with the sea, acting as his muse, water was ever-present in his work.

During his youth he attended a Jesuit academy in Cadiz (1891-1896) before studying at the University of Seville. At Seville, Jiménez studied law and simultaneously developed an interest in art and painting.

At age 19 he moved to Madrid and forgot about law and concentrated full time on developing his poetry and writing style. In the capital city, Jiménez met Rubén Dario, a Nicaraguan poet, who would become his lifelong mentor and friend. Jiménez drafted many early poems with romantic themes published around 1900 in one of his fist poetry volumes titled Almas de Violeta (Souls of Violet).

When Mr. Jiménez´s father died in 1905, the poet returned to his home town of Moguer and spent 6 years writing and battling depression. The poet was said to be very sensitive, emotional, and susceptible to illness. Elejilas, Baladas de primavera, and La soledad Sonora, were produced during his time back home and reflected is dejected state. Pale, neutral colors dominated his work, instead of his usual vibrant greens and yellows. It was also during this time that Jiménez created his most popular work, Platero y yo, poetry that became a classic, especially for children.

After Platero y yo, Jiménez published 9 volumes of poetry. It´s said his style became more confident at this time, in his mid to late 20s, moving a way from structured verse.

In 1916 Jiménez traveled to the United States, really, he chased after Zenobia Camprubí to marry her. Camprubí was a Spanish writer and poet, born in Barcelona. She is most noted for her translated works of Rabindranath Tagore, an influential Bengali author, also a winner of Nobel Prize in Literature (1913). On the voyage across the Atlantic Jiménez put together Diaro de un poeta reciencasado, a work that focuses on symbols of the ocean and the sky.

Over the next fifteen years, back in Madrid, Juan Ramón Jiménez faded from public life to concentrate on poetry. Four major works come from this period of an “intellectual tone, stripped of verbal music,” Eternidades (1917), Piedra y cielo (1918), Poesía (1923), and Belleza (1923).

When the Spanish Civil War erupted, Jiménez was appointed as the cultural attaché to the United States by the Republican government. From 1939, he and his wife remained abroad teaching and lecturing at universities in New York and Maryland before settling in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1956 Mr. Juan Ramón Jiménez was award the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in Spanish language constitutes an example of high spirit and artistical purity”. Camprubí died two days later. Jiménez never fully recovered from the loss of his wife and died two years later on May 29th, 1958 in San Juan.

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