Café Gijón (Also known as ''Gran Café de Gijón'') is a culturally significant

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

Antonio Espina, «''Las tertulias de Madrid''», Madrid, Alianza, 1995 situated at No. 21,José Esteban,Blanca Mena,Pilar Mateos,Marta Menacho Julián Marcos, Mariano Tudela, (2002), ''«El libro del Café Gijón»'',Madrid in the principal boulevard of central

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, which is known as

Paseo de Recoletos Paseo de Recoletos is a wide boulevard in central Madrid leading from Plaza de Cibeles to Plaza de Colón. From west to east it consists of: * Two southward lanes * The pedestrian walk * A southward bus lane * Three southward lanes * Three nort ...

. The café is opposite both a railway station of the same name and the National Library of Spain (BNE). The

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk an ...

in front is on the central walkway of the Paseo.

History

It was established on 15 May 1888 by ''Gumersindo Gómez''Angel del Río López, (2003), «''Los viejos cafés de Madrid''», Ed. Madrid, (possibly ''Gunmersindo García''). Despite modest beginnings, after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

it became a meeting-place for intellectuals, writers and artists collectively known as Generation of '36. It was also known by Hollywood stars and foreign writers such as

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

, and

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

. In December 2013, the cafe experienced a robbery.

Tertulias

These were some of the more famous regular meetings or discussions: * La ''tertulia de los poetas'' A Poets' Corner led by

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 ...

* La ''juventud Creadora'' Creative Youth or '' Garcilasismo'' was one of the main currents of Spanish post-civil-war poetry * La ''Tertulia de Escritores y Lectores'' which was led by the

Ateneo de Madrid The Ateneo de Madrid ("Athenæum of Madrid") is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain that was founded in 1835. Its full name is ''Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid'' ("Scientific, Literary and Artistic ...

a private cultural institution promoting scientific, literary and artistic talent, and loosely associated with the Institución Libre de Enseñanz movement which created the nearby

Residencia de Estudiantes The Residencia de Estudiantes, literally the "Student Residence", is a centre of Spanish cultural life in Madrid. The Residence was founded to provide accommodation for students along the lines of classic colleges at Bologna, Salamanca, Cambridge ...

Famous Patrons

* Carlos Oroza *

Diego Medrano Diego Medrano Fernández (Oviedo, Spain, 1978) is a Spanish poet, narrator and regular columnist of Asturian newspaper '' El Comercio''. Life Begins philosophy studies in the Universidad de Oviedo, where, ''"after feeling like Oscar Wilde in pr ...

Francisco Umbral Francisco Alejandro Pérez Martínez (11 May 1932 – 28 August 2007), better known as Francisco Umbral, was a Spanish journalist, novelist, biographer and essayist. Style Although he was born in Madrid, a city that has inspired most of his wor ...

Juan Benet Juan Benet (7 October 1927 – 5 January 1993) was a Spanish novelist, dramatist and essayist who also worked as a civil engineer. Early life Benet was born in Madrid. At the start of the Spanish Civil War, his father was killed, and he left fo ...

* Eduardo Alfonso and Mario Rosso, founders of the Schola Philosophicae Initiationis *

Ramón María del Valle-Inclán Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...

* Antonio Paso * Alfonso Paso *

Antonio Buero Vallejo Antonio Buero Vallejo (September 29, 1916 – April 29, 2000) was a Spanish playwright associated with the Generation of '36 movement and considered the most important Spanish dramatist of the Spanish Civil War. Biography During his career ...

Antonio Gala Antonio Gala Velasco (born 2 October 1930) is a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist and writer. Life and career Gala was born in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real ( Castile-La Mancha), although he moved very soon to Córdoba and is widely considered an ...

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Liter ...

* Carlos Oroza *

Enrique Jardiel Poncela Enrique Jardiel Poncela (15 October 1901 – 18 February 1952) was a Spanish playwright and novelist who wrote mostly humorous works. In 1932-33 and 1934 he was called to Hollywood to help with the Spanish-language versions shot in parallel to ...

Fernando Fernán Gómez Fernando Fernández Gómez (28 August 1921 – 21 November 2007) better known as Fernando Fernán Gómez was a Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director and member of the Royal Spanish Academy for seven years. He was born i ...

* Juan José Cuadros Pérez *

Gloria Fuertes Gloria Fuertes García (28 July, 1917 – 27 November, 1998) was a Spanish poet and author of children's literature. She was part of the Spanish literary movement known as '' postismo (post-ism)'' that began after the Spanish Civil War. Active ...

Ignacio Sánchez Mejías Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (6 June 1891, Seville – 13 August 1934, Madrid) was a Spanish matador. After his death following a goring (''cornada'') in the Plaza of Manzanares, he was memorialized by several poets of the Generation of '27, notably ...

* José Canalejas *

José Suárez Carreño José Suárez Carreño (1915–2002) was a Spanish writer associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was born in Guadalupe, Mexico, but lived in Madrid from an early age. Awards He was awarded the Adonais Prize in 1945 for his book ''E ...

Juan García Hortelano Juan García Hortelano (14 February 1928 – 3 April 1992) was a Spanish writer. He was born in Madrid on Valentine's Day 1928. His father was a doctor. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he was sent with his siblings to Cuenca, only returning ...

Santiago Ramón y Cajal Santiago Ramón y Cajal (; 1 May 1852 – 17 October 1934) was a Spanish neuroscientist, pathologist, and histologist specializing in neuroanatomy and the central nervous system. He and Camillo Golgi received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or M ...

Benito Pérez Galdós Benito Pérez Galdós (May 10, 1843 – January 4, 1920) was a Spanish realist novelist. He was the leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Miguel de Cervantes in stature as a Spanish n ...

* Modesto Ciruelos *

Dionisio Ridruejo Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez (12 October 1912 – 29 June 1975) was a Spanish poet and political figure associated with the Generation of '36 movement and a member of the Falange political party. He was co-author of the words to the Falangist anthe ...

* José García Nieto * Salvador Videgain García *

Manuel Alexandre Manuel Alexandre Abarca OAXS MML (11 November 1917 – 12 October 2010) was a Spanish film and television actor. Career He was a popular supporting actor. He won an Honorary Goya Award in 2003 for his career achievements. Filmography in ...

Álvaro de Luna Álvaro de Luna y Fernández de Jarava (between 1388 and 13902 June 1453), was a Castilian statesman, favourite of John II of Castile. He served as Constable of Castile and as Grand Master of the Order of Santiago. He earned great influence i ...

* José Manuel Cervino *

Juan Van Halen Juan Van Halen y Sartí (16 February 1788 – 8 November 1864) was a Spanish military officer. After fighting for the losing side in the Peninsular War, he was forced to flee to Spain. Van Halen became a military adventurer throughout Europe a ...

* Marino Gómez Santos * José Luis Prado Nogueira * Luis López Anglada *

Leopoldo de Luis Leopoldo is a given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese form of the English, German, Dutch, Polish, and Slovene name, Leopold. Notable people with the name include: *Leopoldo de' Medici (1617–1675), Italian cardinal and Governor of Sie ...

Luis García Berlanga Luis García-Berlanga Martí (12 June 1921 – 13 November 2010) was a Spain , Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema, his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture ...

Arturo Pérez-Reverte Arturo Pérez-Reverte Gutiérrez (born 25 November 1951 in Cartagena) is a Spanish novelist and journalist. He worked as a war correspondent for RTVE for 21 years (1973–1994). His first novel, ''El húsar'', set in the Napoleonic Wars, was ...

Café Gijón Prize

El ''Premio Café Gijón''See: :es:Premio Café Gijón is an annual Spanish literary award for an outstanding novel. The idea, conceived in 1949 by

and other leaders of the Tertulias was to promote those meetings and to create an independent prize to compete with

Nadal Prize Premio Nadal is a Spanish literary prize awarded annually by the publishing house Ediciones Destino, part of Planeta Group, Planeta. It has been awarded every year on 6 January since 1944. The Josep Pla Award for Catalan literature is given at the ...

, which was organised by commercial publishers. Although the award was originally managed by the Café Gijón, and is now financed by the tourism agency of the northern port city of

Gijón Gijón () or () is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the cent ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

, it is only concerned with the spread of quality literature and the promotion of authors whose work may not otherwise be published for lack of funds. Although winners receive no financial prize, the award attracts considerable media attention which promotes both the winning authors and of course the sponsors of the prize.

References

External links

Café Gijón official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe Gijon Buildings and structures in Madrid Culture in Madrid Food and drink companies based in Madrid Coffeehouses and cafés in Spain