Por Redaccion 
The Instituto Cervantes will pay tribute this Friday to the writer Ángel González (Oviedo, 1925 – Madrid, 2008) on the occasion of World Poetry Day, celebrated every March 21st, at an event at 7:00 p.m. where prominent figures from the literary and cultural fields will participate.
The institutional welcome will be given by the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, and will feature the participation of the General Director of Books and Comics, María José Gálvez, and the Minister of Culture, Linguistic Policy, and Sports of the Government of Asturias, Vanessa Gutiérrez, who will read some poems along with Araceli Iravedra, from the Ángel González Chair; and the editors, writers, and journalists Miguel Munarriz, Chus Visor; Benjamín Prado, José Luis García Martín, Ignacio Elguero, Xuan Bello, and Rocío Acebal.
As detailed in a statement, the memory of Ángel González, a poet of the 50s generation, is preserved in the Caja de las Letras of the Cervantes with a legacy consisting of many of his books, as well as a self-portrait, letters, photographs, and other objects that summarize his life and creative work, deposited in memoriam at an event held in February 2023.
The director of the Cervantes praised the figure of the Asturian poet «for the significance and the masterful work he accomplished» with him, both for the personal help he provided years ago and for «his poetic teaching,» from his early years of dedication to poetry.
González’s legacy is kept in the Caja de las Letras alongside that of other poets of the 50s generation, such as Gil de Biedma, Caballero Bonald, or José Agustín Goytisolo.
AN AUTHOR OF THE 50s GENERATION
The poet and literary critic Ángel González was born in Oviedo on September 6, 1925. He studied law in his hometown as well as journalism and Teaching in Madrid. In 1954, he entered the central Administration body through opposition. Two years later, he published his first poetry book, ‘Áspero mundo’, for which he received an honorable mention for the Adonais Prize.
In 1961, he wrote ‘Sin esperanza, con convencimiento’ and subsequently began the first stage of his poetic work, which gave him a fundamental place within his generation. In 1972, Ángel González moved to the United States to work as a professor at the University of New Mexico and, since then, he resided in the United States, with long stays in Spain.
Other notable titles published until his death in 2008 include ‘Tratado de urbanismo’ (1967), ‘Breves acotaciones para una biografía’ (1971), or the posthumous ‘Nada grave’ (2008). In addition, Ángel González also wrote essays about the poets who influenced him the most, such as Juan Ramón Jiménez, Antonio Machado, the group of ’27, or Gabriel Celaya.
All this work led him to be recognized, among others, with the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature (1985) or the Queen Sofía Prize for Ibero-American Poetry (1996), as well as his admission to the RAE on March 23, 1997.