Whose verses echo through Madrid’s streets? This plaque honors Josè Hierro. It marks the house where he lived from 1960 to 2002.
Josè Hierro del Real or Pepe Hierro was born in Madrid in 1922. He died in Madrid in 2002. He was a renowned Spanish poet. Hierro belonged to the postwar generation. He fit within rootless and existential poetry streams.
Hierro wrote for Espadaña and Garcilaso magazines. He received the Prince of Asturias Awards in Literature in 1981. He also won the Cervantes Prize in 1998. Many more awards and honors came his way.
His family moved to Santander when he was two. He spent most of his youth there. In 1936 he won his first literary prize. It was a contest by the Ateneo Popular de Santander. His winning story was set in Japan. It was titled La leyenda del almendro.
After the Spanish Civil War Hierro was jailed. He was accused of helping political prisoners. He spent five years in various prisons. There he taught other prisoners to read. He also illustrated for them.
After his release in 1944 Hierro moved to Valencia. He worked various jobs. In 1948 he published his first art critique. It was about Modesto Ciruelos a painter. Hierro continued as an art critic. He worked for Radio Nacional de España. He also wrote for Diario Arriba de Madrid.
In 1949 Josè Hierro married María de los Ángeles Torres. He co-founded Proel magazine with Carlos Salomón. He directed Cámara de Comercio and Cámara Sindical Agraria. In 1952 he moved to Madrid permanently. There he worked at the CSIC and Editora Nacional.
Hierro collaborated with several poetry magazines. These included Corcel Espadaña and Garcilaso. In 1995 he received an honorary doctorate. It was from the Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo de Santander. In 1999 he was chosen for the Real Academia Española. He never took office. In 2002 he received an honorary doctorate. It was from the University of Turin.
Josè Hierro died in Madrid in 2002 at 80. His ashes were buried in the Cementerio de la Almudena. Later they were moved to Santander’s Cementerio de Ciriego.
Hierro had a superstition. He could not write at home. He frequented Madrid cafes to write. Some poems took years to finalize.
Josè Hierro received many awards. These included the Premio Adonáis in 1947. He also won the National Poetry Prize in 1953 and 1999. The Criticism Prize came in 1958 1965 and 1998. He was named Adoptive Son of Cantabria in 1982. In 2002 he received the Medal of Madrid.
Now as you stand before this plaque remember Josè Hierro. He lived wrote and dreamed within these walls. His poetry continues to resonate. It echoes through the streets of Madrid and beyond.