Gamoneda was deeply involved in the resistance movement opposed to the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. His first book was published in 1960 and shortlisted for the Adonais Prize. He did not bring out another book until 1977. His work only began to receive the attention it deserved after he was awarded the Castilla y León Poetry Prize in 1985 and the National Poetry Prize in 1987. In 2006, Gamoneda received the two highest honors a writer can receive in the Spanish-speaking world, the Reina Sofía Poetry Prize and the Cervantes Prize. Self- taught and prolific, a unique voice in post-Civil War Spanish poetry, he continues to be a vital and powerful poetic presence in Spain and throughout the world.
Description of the Lie (Descripcion de la Mentira)
2013
Paperback
172 p.
Edited and translated from the Spanish by Donald Wellman, with an essay by Daniel Aguirre-Oteiza. Bilingual edition. The poetry in this volume is rich in imagery drawn from the area of León where Gamoneda has lived most of his life and raised his family. The book presents a unique instance of the local serving as a liberating force, in all its richness and complexity. It embodies a truly national consciousness: loss, despair, compromise and recovery - aspects of Spain's tragic twentieth century history.
︎ $17.95