The Ateneo de Sevilla, originally called Excursions Ateneo and Society, is a cultural association in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Penins ...

, Spain which was founded in 1887 by Dr. Manuel Gaudencio Sales y Ferrèr. It became prominent in the early 20th century and was known for its meetings of the

Generation of '27 The Generation of '27 ( es, Generación del 27) was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. ...

Activities

Writers such as

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of hi ...

, José María Izquierdo, and Joaquín Romero Murube were all members of the Ateneo de Sevilla. Jiménez came from his native city of

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 22,623. Its surface area is , and its population density is . The present site of Moguer had been h ...

to Seville to pursue a degree in law. He is known for writing ''

Platero and I ''Platero and I'', also translated as ''Platero and Me'' ( es, Platero y yo), is a 1914 Spanish prose poem written by Juan Ramón Jiménez. The book is one of the most popular works by Jiménez, and unfolds around a writer and his eponymous donke ...

'' and
The Diary of a Newlywed Poet
'. He claimed that he became a writer and poet in the library of Ateneo de Sevilla. The association also included politicians such as Pedro Rodríguez de la Borbolla, Blas Infante, Diego Martinez Barrio. and Miguel Bravo-Ferrer. Patio del Ateneo

The popular Kings Parade, which emerged in 1918, was an initiative of the Ateneo de Sevilla. The parade, organized by the Ateneo de Sevilla every year since, is prominent among the major festivals of the city. The Ateneo de Sevilla inspired the creation of the Isla Cristina Ateneo, a similar organization based in Andalucia. It opened on September 10, 1926, as a result of the collaboration of Blas Infante. The Ateneo de Sevilla has many regularly occurring cultural initiatives. A notable event is the Ateneo de Sevilla Awards, in which the "Novel", "Young Novel", "Historical Novel", "Painting", "History", and "Trial and Updates" awards are given. The Ateneo's activities also include lectures, panel discussions, debates, book presentations, and exhibitions. In 2012, the institution celebrated its 125th anniversary. The Ateneo de Sevilla invites national and international personalities to the city as guests, with the goal of bringing analysis and reflection to the most diverse sectors of the population of Seville, including historical and current topics. To this end, during the term of the current President of the Ateneo, Alberto Máximo Pérez Calero, lecturers have included Anna Ferrer, widow of Vincent Ferrer (who received the "Prince of Asturias Award for Concord" for his work with The Vicente Ferrer Foundation in India) and José Antonio Marina, renowned Spanish educator, philosopher, and writer. Ateneo Isla Cristina

Generation of '27

During the presidency of Blasco José María Romero Garzon, the physician and poet José María Romero Martínez (1893–1936) was responsible for organizing a commemoration for the 300th anniversary of the death of Spanish poet

Luis de Góngora Luis de Góngora y Argote (born Luis de Argote y Góngora; ; 11 July 1561 – 24 May 1627) was a Spanish Baroque lyric poet and a Catholic priest. Góngora and his lifelong rival, Francisco de Quevedo, are widely considered the most prominent ...

. Leading representatives of Spanish poetry attended the event, which was held on December 16 and 17, 1927, at the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in Seville. Pictures taken of the event by Serrano show Blasco Garzón at center, with numerous people to either side, including

Rafael Alberti Rafael Alberti Merello (16 December 1902 – 28 October 1999) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. He is considered one of the greatest literary figures of the so-called ''Silver Age'' of Spanish Literature, and he won numero ...

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

, Juan Chabás

Salvador Bacarisse Salvador Bacarisse Chinoria (12 September 18985 August 1963) was a Spanish composer. Bacarisse was born in Madrid and studied music at the Real Conservatorio de Música there, as a student of Manuel Fernández Alberdi (piano) and Conrado del Camp ...

Jorge Guillen Jorge is a Spanish Language, Spanish and Portuguese Language, Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth ...

, José Bergamin, Damaso Alonso,

Gerardo Diego Gerardo Diego Cendoya (October 3, 1896 – July 8, 1987) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. Diego taught language and literature at institutes of learning in Soria, Gijón, Santander and Madrid. He also acted as litera ...

Luis Cernuda Luis Cernuda Bidón (September 21, 1902 – November 5, 1963) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27. During the Spanish Civil War, in early 1938, he went to the UK to deliver some lectures and this became the start of an exile t ...

, Fernando Villalón,

Pedro Salinas Pedro Salinas y Serrano (27 November 1891 – 4 December 1951) was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27, as well as a university teacher, scholar and literary critic. In 1937, he delivered the Turnbull lectures at Johns Hopkins ...

, Rafael Porlán, Adriano del Valle, Amantina Cobos, the painter Villalobos, Collantes, Romero Murube Labrador Llosent, Antonio Espina, Fernández Almagro, San Román Muñoz, Rafael Laffón,

Gustavo Bacarisas Gustavo Bacarisa (1872–1971) Gibraltar Medallion of Honour, GMH was a Gibraltarian people, Gibraltarian painter. He was born in Gibraltar and died in Seville, Spain. His work, of a figurative style and varied themes, is characterised by the rich ...

, the matador Sanchez Mejias, Juan Miguel Sanchez, Lafita, Majo, Nunez Cabezas de Herrera, Tamayo, and José de la Peña. This act is considered the founding document of the

, despite the diversity of the people present.

Presidency

Since 2010, Alberto Máximo Pérez Calerothe has been the President of the Ateneo de Sevilla. He is a doctor specializing in family practice, internal medicine, and gastroenterology. He is also an academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Seville, Murcia, and Vélez de Guevara (Ecija). From 1994 until he became president, Alberto Máximo Pérez Calero was a director of the institution in the Chairs of Literature and Medicine, Assistant to the President and Secretary General. He has published several books and dozens of articles on the Ateneo de Sevilla.

References

* 2 volumes. * 2 volumes. * 4 volumes. * 2 volumes. Texts by José Domínguez León, Miguel Cruz Giraldez, Gerardo Pérez Calero; photographs by Marcos Fernández Gómez, ''et al.'' {{Authority control Seville Cultural organisations based in Spain