Background

Claudio Rodriguez was born on January 30, 1934, in Zamora, Spain. He was a son of Claudio Diego Rodriguez and Maria Garcia (Moralejo) Rodriguez.

Education

In his early years, Claudio attended the Secondary School Claudio Moyano. Then, he studied Philosophy and Letters at the Complutense University of Madrid, where, in 1957, he received a master's degree. At the university, he became friends with other poets of his generation, such as Carlos Bousoño and Ángel González, as well as other writers, including Vicente Aleixandre and Blas de Otero.

Career

Claudio became interested in poetry in the late 1940's, when he discovered various volumes of European classics in his late father's library. He published his first poem in 1949 in a local newspaper.

In 1953, four years before earning a graduate degree from the Complutense University of Madrid, Rodriguez made his literary debut with "Don de le Ebriedad", an impressive poetry collection, that includes verse, dating from his late teens. The poems in "Don de la Ebriedad" inevitably reflect Rodriguez's heightened sensibility with regard to love and natural beauty, and they serve to demonstrate his keen grasp of both sensory perception and technical expression. This work exerted considerable appeal, when it appeared in 1953, and it readily established Rodriguez as a master of poetic expression. But he scarcely sought to capitalize on his newfound fame by rushing another volume into print. Instead, Claudio allowed five years to pass before producing the second collection, titled "Conjuros". In this volume, Rodriguez merges conventional poetic themes, such as love, the cosmos and nature, with more pointed considerations of rural life.

In 1958, the same year, that he produced "Conjuros", Rodriguez left Spain for England, where, between 1958 and 1960, he taught Spanish literature at the University of Nottingham, and, in 1960-1964, Claudio held the same position at the University of Cambridge.

Only after returning to Spain did Claudio produce another volume, titled "Alianza Y Condena", wherein he contrasts his two subjects in thematically downbeat poems. Six years passed before Rodriguez issued "Poesía, 1953-1966", namely in 1971. This work includes those poems, comprising his three previous collections. Only after the passing of five more years did he produce another volume of new poems, titled "El Vuelo De La Celebración". This collection serves as further evidence of Rodriguez's flair for introspection and sustained melancholy thought. Rodriguez followed this volume with "Antología Poética" and "Desde Mis Poems", two more volumes, featuring poems, culled from previous collections.

In 1991, Claudio produced "Casi Una Leyenda", the work, which includes poems, in which the author marvels at life's pointless complications and demands. At the time of his death, Claudio was reportedly at work on a long poem on the theme of old age and death, to be titled "Aventura" (Adventure).

It's also worth noting, that, upon his return to Spain, Claudio taught at various universities. Also, for many years, he taught foreign students at the Instituto Internaciónal, where his wife worked as a librarian.

Achievements

• Claudio Rodriguez was one of the greatest Spanish poets. Fellow writers said, that he helped to revitalize the country's poetry after the Spanish Civil War. Claudio's most notable works include "Alianza Y Condena", "Desde Mis poemas" and "Don De La Ebriedad".
  
  Rodríguez's uniqueness as a poet is due to a rare combination of an extraordinary gift for language, already in evidence in his earliest verse, and a deeply reflective quality, that grew more intense and luminous with age.
  
  Claudio attained many notable awards, including the Adonais Prize for Poetry, Premio Nacional de Poesia, Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras (present-day Premio Princesa de Asturias de las Letras), Premio Castilla y León de las Letras and Premio Reina Sofía de Poesía Iberoamericana. In addition, in 1987, he was elected to the Royal Spanish Academy.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Poesia, 1953-1966

    (This work includes "Don De Ebriedad", "Conjuros" and "Ali...)

    1971
  • Don De La Ebriedad 1953
  • Alianza Y Condena 1965
  • El Vuelo De La Celebración 1976
  • Desde Mis Poemas 1983
  • Casi Una Leyenda 1991
  • Poesias Escogidas 1992

Politics

In 1956, Claudio became a member of the Communist Party of Spain, but soon left it.

Views

Rodriguez had a lyrical style, filled with symbolism.

Membership

Claudio was a member of the Royal Galician Academy. Moreover, he was a member of the Generation of 1950, an informal grouping of writers, who began to gain a following in that decade.

• member and official arbiter of the Spanish language

  Royal Spanish Academy , Spain

  December 17, 1987

Personality

Rodriguez was a man of fundamentally simple tastes, preferring the neighborhood tavern to polite literary society, although he remained friends with many of his fellow poets.

Physical Characteristics: Claudio suffered from colon cancer. Besides, years of heavy drinking and smoking doubtlessly contributed to his relatively early death. The newspaper El País reported that, even after his cancer operation, he continued to smoke one black cigarette after another to the shock of friends and well-wishers.

Quotes from others about the person

• ''The greatness of his poetry combined simplicity and clarity, a religious and transcendent background, that comes from our best poetic tradition and attention to language and rhythm.'' - Mariano Rajoy, a Spanish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018

Connections

In 1959, Claudio married Clara Miranda, a librarian.

Father:

Claudio Diego Rodriguez

Mother:

Maria Garcia (Moralejo) Rodriguez

Wife:

Clara Miranda

Friend:

Carlos Bousoño

Friend:

Ángel González

Friend:

Vicente Aleixandre

Friend:

Blas de Otero

References

• Claudio Rodríguez
  1987