Ángel Crespo
Encyclopedia
Ángel Crespo was born in 1926 in Alcolea de Calatrava
, Province of Ciudad Real
and died in 1995 in Barcelona
. He was one of Spain's
most significant poet
s and translators of the second half of the twentieth century.
Crespo was the author of over thirty books of poetry
. He also published over twenty books of translations (ranging from the work of Dante
and Petrarch
to that of Fernando Pessoa
and Eugénio de Andrade
) and numerous works of literary criticism
. One of Spain's most prestigious translation prizes, the Premio de Traducción Ángel Crespo, was named after him.
Crespo was raised in the La Mancha
region of Spain
. Early in his career, he was associated with Carlos Edmundo de Ory
and the Postism literary movement. He was labeled a traitor under Spain’s Franco
regime for signing a petition to protest the torture
of miners in Asturias
. Afterwards, he participated in clandestine antigovernment activities until he was eventually driven into exile
. He lived with his wife, translator
and professor
Pilar Gómez Bedate, in various places including Sweden
and Puerto Rico
before returning to Spain in the 1980s.
Victor García de la Concha, professor at the University of Salamanca and Director of the Royal Spanish Academy, has written that “few Spanish poets of the last forty years have achieved a voice as vital and sustained as Ángel Crespo.” His work is often surreal
and manifests a deep engagement with nature
and the classics
. Some of his best work came in the aphorism and prose poem forms. His primary English-language translators are Steven J. Stewart, who was awarded a translation fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts
in 2005 for his work on Crespo's prose poems, and Arthur Terry ('A Woman Called Rose', published by Agenda Editions in 2011).
Alcolea de Calatrava
Alcolea de Calatrava is a municipality in Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 1,630....
, Province of Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (province)
The province of Ciudad Real is a province of South-central Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Córdoba, Badajoz, and Toledo. Its extent is effectively that of the old province of La Mancha...
and died in 1995 in 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...
. He was one of Spain's
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...
most significant 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...
s and translators of the second half of the twentieth century.
Crespo was the author of over thirty books of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. He also published over twenty books of translations (ranging from the work of Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
and Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
to that of Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa
Fernando Pessoa, born Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa , was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic and translator described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language.-Early years in Durban:On 13 July...
and Eugénio de Andrade
Eugénio de Andrade
Eugénio de Andrade was the pseudonym of José Fontinhas, GOSE, GCM , a Portuguese poet.José Fontinhas was born at Póvoa de Atalaia, Fundão. He is revered as one of the leading names in contemporary Portuguese poetry...
) and numerous works of literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
. One of Spain's most prestigious translation prizes, the Premio de Traducción Ángel Crespo, was named after him.
Crespo was raised in the La Mancha
La Mancha
La Mancha is a natural and historical region or greater comarca located on an arid, fertile, elevated plateau of central Spain, south of Madrid, stretching between the Montes de Toledo and the western spurs of the Serrania de Cuenca. It is bounded on the south by the Sierra Morena and on the north...
region of Spain
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...
. Early in his career, he was associated with Carlos Edmundo de Ory
Carlos Edmundo de Ory
Carlos Edmundo de Ory was born in the Spanish city of Cadiz, was a Spanish avant-garde poet.Ory was fundamental in modernizing post-Spanish Civil War poetry by creating work that engaged major twentieth-century European avant-gardes such as Futurism, Dadaism, and Surrealism...
and the Postism literary movement. He was labeled a traitor under Spain’s Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
regime for signing a petition to protest the torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
of miners in Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
. Afterwards, he participated in clandestine antigovernment activities until he was eventually driven into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
. He lived with his wife, translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Pilar Gómez Bedate, in various places including Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
before returning to Spain in the 1980s.
Victor García de la Concha, professor at the University of Salamanca and Director of the Royal Spanish Academy, has written that “few Spanish poets of the last forty years have achieved a voice as vital and sustained as Ángel Crespo.” His work is often surreal
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....
and manifests a deep engagement with nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and the classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
. Some of his best work came in the aphorism and prose poem forms. His primary English-language translators are Steven J. Stewart, who was awarded a translation fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
in 2005 for his work on Crespo's prose poems, and Arthur Terry ('A Woman Called Rose', published by Agenda Editions in 2011).
Selected works
- Poemas en Prosa: 1965-1994 (Ediciones Igitur, 1998)
- La Realidad Entera (Galaxia Gutenberg/Círculo de Lectores, 2005 )