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Ãngel González Muñiz was a major Spanish poet of the twentieth century.
González was born in Oviedo. He took a law degree at the University of Oviedo and, in 1950, moved to Madrid to work in Civil Administration. It was in Madrid that he first began to write and publish his poetry, becoming friends with many of the leading Spanish writers who encouraged his work. His first book of poems, Ãspero mundo, was an immediate critical success. His second book, Grado elemental, was published in Paris and won the prestigious Antonio Machado Prize for Poetry. He published eight more books of poetry and edited several anthologies and books of literary criticism, including critical editions on the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez and Antonio Machado. Two books have appeared in English translation: Harsh World and Other Poems and Astonishing World: The Selected Poems of Ãngel González.
He is also the recipient of the Angel MarÃa de Lera Hispanism Prize for his contributions to Hispanic Culture from the University of Colorado, the PrÃncipe de Asturias Prize, the Salerno Poetry Prize and the Premio Reina SofÃa Iberoamericas Prize. In 1997 he was appointed as the Chair of the Real Academia Española. In 2004 he was awarded the inaugural Federico GarcÃa Lorca Poetry Prize by the City of Granada. His work is represented in the major anthologies of Spanish poetry of the 20th century, and is also included in the Vintage Book Of Contemporary World Poetry. He taught at the University of New Mexico from 1974 to 1994. Before his death in January 2008 in Madrid, he divided his time between New Mexico and Spain. Songwriter JoaquÃn Sabina dedicated him the song Menos dos alas, included in his latest album Vinagre y Rosas.
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