José María Gabriel y Galán
Encyclopedia
José María Gabriel y Galán (Frades de la Sierra
(Salamanca
), june 28th, 1870 - Guijo de Granadilla
(Cáceres
), España
, january 6th, 1905) was a Spanish
poet in Castilian
and Extremaduran
.
He was a teacher in Guijuelo
(Salamanca
) & Piedrahíta
(Ávila
). His poetry is quite conservative both in its thematic and its structure: he defended tradition
, family
, race, catholic
dogma
or simple rural life.
in order to go on with his studies. His first verses can be traced back to that early period. Simultaneously, he starts working in a textile warehouse.
In 1888, he graduated for being a school teacher and he is assigned a working position in Guijuelo
, about 20 km away from his hometown. After a brief stay in Guijuelo, he departs again for Madrid
, this time for keeping on with his studies in the Escuela Normal Central ("Normal Central School"). He was to live there for a very short period, for the metropolis caused disgust in him (he actually mentioned it as 'Modernópolis' in some of his letters).
After finishing his studies, he is sent to Piedrahíta (town in the Ávila province), where he puts his newly acquired pedagogic knowledge into practice. Such period of his life is characterised by a gloomy frame of mind, he signed the letters to his friend as "El Solitario" ("The solitary one").
In those years the young teacher develops his characteristic sad and melancolic personality, with profound religious beliefs (which he got from his mother, Bernarda), which can be perceived in his poems.
It wasn't until he met his wife, Desideria, (who she mentions as "Mi vaquerilla" (my little cowgirl)) that he undergoes a radical change, which becomes even deeper from his weeding on, the 26th of January of 1898, in Plasencia
. He resigns from his job as a teacher and sets up his new residence in Guijo de Granadilla, in the Cáceres
province, where he administers the dehesa El Tejar, property of his wife's uncle. It's there where he can find the time and tranquility for shaping his poetic style. As his first son is born (Jesús, 1898) he writes El Cristu benditu, the first of his famous Extremeñas.
He died on the 6th of January, 1905, victim of a pulmony.
The city hall of Guijo de Granadilla currently still maintains the house in which he lived, as a museum devoted to him, where his manuscripts and personal objects are displayed (all of which were donated by his heirs).
Collections of poems:
His works exerted influence on many posterior writers, such as:
Frades de la Sierra
Frades de la Sierra is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
(Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
), june 28th, 1870 - Guijo de Granadilla
Guijo de Granadilla
Guijo de Granadilla is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. It is located at 32 kilometers from Plasencia....
(Cáceres
Cáceres, Spain
Cáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....
), España
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...
, january 6th, 1905) was a Spanish
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...
poet in Castilian
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Extremaduran
Extremaduran language
Extremaduran is a Romance language, spoken by several hundred thousand people in Spain, in an area covering the north-western part of the autonomous community of Extremadura and adjoining areas in the province of Salamanca....
.
He was a teacher in Guijuelo
Guijuelo
Guijuelo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 5593 inhabitants.-See also:*CD Guijuelo, the football club of this municipality....
(Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
) & Piedrahíta
Piedrahíta
Piedrahíta is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,024 inhabitants. More info: http://www.piedrahita.tk...
(Ávila
Ávila (province)
Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a...
). His poetry is quite conservative both in its thematic and its structure: he defended tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
, family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
, race, catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
or simple rural life.
Life
He was born into a peasant family that owned its own lands. He spent his childhood in his hometown, where he attended school. At 15, he left for SalamancaSalamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
in order to go on with his studies. His first verses can be traced back to that early period. Simultaneously, he starts working in a textile warehouse.
In 1888, he graduated for being a school teacher and he is assigned a working position in Guijuelo
Guijuelo
Guijuelo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 5593 inhabitants.-See also:*CD Guijuelo, the football club of this municipality....
, about 20 km away from his hometown. After a brief stay in Guijuelo, he departs again for Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, this time for keeping on with his studies in the Escuela Normal Central ("Normal Central School"). He was to live there for a very short period, for the metropolis caused disgust in him (he actually mentioned it as 'Modernópolis' in some of his letters).
After finishing his studies, he is sent to Piedrahíta (town in the Ávila province), where he puts his newly acquired pedagogic knowledge into practice. Such period of his life is characterised by a gloomy frame of mind, he signed the letters to his friend as "El Solitario" ("The solitary one").
In those years the young teacher develops his characteristic sad and melancolic personality, with profound religious beliefs (which he got from his mother, Bernarda), which can be perceived in his poems.
It wasn't until he met his wife, Desideria, (who she mentions as "Mi vaquerilla" (my little cowgirl)) that he undergoes a radical change, which becomes even deeper from his weeding on, the 26th of January of 1898, in Plasencia
Plasencia
Plasencia is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Western Spain. , it had a population of 41,447.Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route, or Ruta de la Plata...
. He resigns from his job as a teacher and sets up his new residence in Guijo de Granadilla, in the Cáceres
Cáceres
- Places :* Cáceres in Spain** Cáceres which covers the province* Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province* Cáceres, Antioquia, municipality in Colombia...
province, where he administers the dehesa El Tejar, property of his wife's uncle. It's there where he can find the time and tranquility for shaping his poetic style. As his first son is born (Jesús, 1898) he writes El Cristu benditu, the first of his famous Extremeñas.
He died on the 6th of January, 1905, victim of a pulmony.
The city hall of Guijo de Granadilla currently still maintains the house in which he lived, as a museum devoted to him, where his manuscripts and personal objects are displayed (all of which were donated by his heirs).
Works
His poetry cannot be included within the modernist movement of that time, for it contains many of the more conservative elements present both in the structure and topics of the poems: he defends tradition, family, lineage, catholic dogma or the virtue of the peasant's life. Besides, his poetry contains archaic words aplenty, which had already fallen out of use by that time, which convey manners and customs of a former epoch.Collections of poems:
- Castellanas (1902)
- Extremeñas(1902)
- Campesinas (1904)
- Nuevas Castellanas(1905)
- Religiosas (1906)
His works exerted influence on many posterior writers, such as:
- Mario Simón Arias-Camisón
- Luis Chamizo TriguerosLuis Chamizo TriguerosLuis Florencio Chamizo Trigueros was a Spanish writer in Castilian and "Castúo", a dialect in Extremadura. He was born within a humble family and he started writing poems secretly....
See also
- Las HurdesLas HurdesLas Hurdes is a comarca in the Sistema Central, at the northern end of province of Cáceres of Extremadura, one of Spain's seventeen Autonomous Communities.-Description:...