Exploring Spanish Literature

 My father used to read me books in Spanish as a child before bed, which inspired me to research some Spanish writers who had published Children's books. Gloria Fuertes, born in 1917, was one of the first women to pop up on my quick google search. She was from Madrid and was known for her Spanish poetry, children's books, and frequent appearances in various television shows. Her mother was a seamstress/maid and her father was a beadle. She started writing stories of her own at just the age of 5! Translated into English, her most famous pieces are titled: " Prayer", "I Write Poetry, Gentlemen!", and "Now." In the 1940s and 50s, her works were beginning to be published in magazines, books, and newspapers targeted towards younger audiences. With other women and strong poets, she founded "Verses in Skirts"in 1951. Verses in Skirts was group of writers who organized concerts, poetry readings at local places throughout their community, and even...

 I have been so busy, so I have been unable to post for a couple of months, but one poet I recently stumbled upon is Carlos Castro Saavedra. He was born 1924 in Medellín, Colombia and died at only 64 years of age. One of his most famous pieces is titled Amistad, meaning friendship in English. He describes friendship as "un mano que un otro mano apoya su fatiga, y siente que el cansancio se mitiga y el camino se vuelve más humano." In English, this most directly mean "a hand that another hand supports your fatigue, and you feel that the tiredness is mitigated and the path returns more human-like." I was curious as to what inspired Castro to write a poem about friendship, so I also found some things about his personal life. He is also commonly known as "the poet of peace." He attended the University of Antioquia and started writing and publishing poems at a very young age. His first book was published in 1946 and titled "Fusiles y Luceros" meaning ...