ANTONIO GAMONEDA LOBÓN was born in Oviedo, Spain, in 1931. His father was a modernist poet who only published one book. He died in 1934, and with his mother, they moved to León, where he’s lived ever since. During the Franco dictatorship schools were closed, and it is said young Antonio taught himself to read and write with his father’s book. Gamoneda has published over twenty poetry collections, many of which are collected in the book Esta Luz (2004).

Gamoneda is a private writer. For many years, he chose to remain cut off from the literary establishment; nevertheless, the poet created a world where one of the most personal and innovative voices of contemporary Spanish poetry resounds.

Memory, history, and self-analysis are the pillars of Gamoneda's writing, which is both unique and intense. His work, a blend of fiction and personal narrative, beckons the reader into a mythical realm of knowledge and emotion. The poet's contemplation of death, far from being a source of fear, becomes a wellspring of poetic pleasure. This distinct perspective on life and death births a poetry that, while rooted in tradition, constantly forges new paths and modernizes the genre, leaving the reader intrigued and captivated.

In 2006, the literary world recognized the talent and contribution of Antonio Gamoneda Lobón by bestowing upon him the prestigious Cervantes Prize, a testament to the profound impact of his work on contemporary Spanish poetry. 

The poems we published here appeared for the first time translated into English by Donald Wellman in Sirena: Poetry, Art, and Criticism (JHUP 2008). This is a new and revised translation by the editor of this journal.