Truly Galicia

Galician Literature Day is held on May 17. You may wonder if this event is observed in major cities in the US. You have to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to find out.

Galicia is an uneven region in northwest Spain, with a distinct culture. Mountain ranges surround many areas. The western part is facing the Atlantic Ocean, its coastlines are notable for its firth-like inlets. This geography would influence the chain of events in its history. Moors invaded Spain, but they didn't have any control on Galicia. The region became a part of Portugal at one time. There were casualties during the Spanish Civil War, but the province wasn't much affected by the conflicts. A distinct kind of art flourished, which was well and alive after many centuries.

Authors have been honored during the event, and Rosalía de Castro was the first recipient. She was the foremost Romanticist poet from that region. She championed the rights of the poor and the women, as seen in her works. But readers would notice the melancholy. It won't be hard to figure out the sadness she dealt, which prompted many to wonder about the saudade. There won't be any English equivalence to the word, which denotes a recollection of feelings that make one live again. This might not have been Rosalia's sentiment, born from the knowledge that the object of longing may never return. Either way, it would describe one's feelings about Galicia's natural wonders.

The literary elite

Here are some authors who were honored during the Literature Week:

Manuel Curros Enríquez. He was a Law student when he began his literary career. He would have been a lawyer and writer, but the war broke out. He was a renowned poet, where many of his works won literary prizes. One of his books put him in hot water, where Cesáreo Rodríguez, the bishop of Orense, accused him of blasphemy. The case hardly affected his fame, though. He wrote more poems and found a new home in Havana.

Vicente Risco. He was a member of Xeración Nós, a nationalist intellectual group that came into prominence during the 1920s. He was highly regarded for his writings, which was all about Galician Nationalism. He was a contributor to the Galician New Narrative, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out that this was another literary movement.

Ramón Otero Pedrayo. The native of Ourense, who taught Geography and History in Santander, was another revered member of Xeración Nós,. Aside from his novels, he became famous for his scientific encyclopaedia, "The History of Galicia". This was hardly surprising, knowing where he came from.