Francisco Javier del Granado y Granado (27 February 1913 – 15 May 1996), was a poet laureate

Poet Laureate

A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...

 and favorite son of Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

.

Born into a distinguished aristocratic family with a rich literary pedigree, he spent most of his youth on his family's hacienda near Arani

Arani

Arani or Aarani may refer to:* Arani, Hindu, goddess of female sexuality and fire.* Arani, Bolivia, a city in Bolivia* Arani Municipality, a municipality in Bolivia* Arani Province, a province in Bolivia...

, in the department of Cochabamba, Colpa-Ciacu, a colonial-era estate in existence since the 16th century that was once a convent. A quiet life filled with the joys of living in the countryside greatly influenced his works, which combine epic imagery and storytelling with bucolic settings as well as rural and indigenous themes and the use, in addition to Spanish, of indigenous languages, primarily Quechua

Quechua languages

Quechua is a Native South American language family and dialect cluster spoken primarily in the Andes of South America, derived from an original common ancestor language, Proto-Quechua. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably...

 (the language of the Incas). In its turn toward native subjects as well as in its use of a formal battery of traditional forms, such as the ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

 and the sonnet

Sonnet

A sonnet is one of several forms of poetry that originate in Europe, mainly Provence and Italy. A sonnet commonly has 14 lines. The term "sonnet" derives from the Occitan word sonet and the Italian word sonetto, both meaning "little song" or "little sound"...

, his extensive body of poetry has been compared with that of Mexico's preeminent man of letters Alfonso Reyes

Alfonso Reyes

Alfonso Reyes Ochoa was a Mexican writer, philosopher and diplomat.-Early life:Alfonso Reyes parents were Bernardo Reyes and Aurelia Ochoa...

.

Bolivia's poetic leading light achieved widespread acclaim and recognition, receiving a multitude of national and international awards over a career that spanned more than half a century. His death was marked by three national days of mourning, and his funeral was a state event. Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

 has dedicated two avenues and a plaza, and put up a monument to his memory, and created a commemorative postage stamp in his honor.

Sources

Caceres Romero, Adolfo, Diccionario de la Literatura Boliviana, Second Edition, La Paz, 1997

Irwin, Amanda L., El poeta de la revolución nacional: La vida y obra de Don Javier del Granado y Granado, La Paz, Bolivia: Los Amigos del Libro, 1991

External links

Javier del Granado Literary Foundation
La Leyenda del Dorado del poeta boliviano Javier del Granado