Galician Literature Day () is a public holiday observed in Galicia,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is a celebration of the

Galician language Galician ( , ), also known as Galego (), is a Iberian Romance languages, Western Ibero-Romance language. Around 2.4 million people have at least some degree of competence in the language, mainly in Galicia (Spain), Galicia, an Autonomo ...

and its

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

which was inaugurated by the

Royal Galician Academy The Royal Galician Academy (, RAG) is an institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language; it promulgates norms of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary and works to promote the language. The Academy is bas ...

(''Real Academia Galega'') in 1963. This celebration has taken place on

May 17 Events Pre-1600 * 1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. * 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. * 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explo ...

each year since 1963. In the year 1991 Galician Literature Day was declared a public holiday in all Galicia. The first celebration took place in 1963 to commemorate the centenary of ''Cantares gallegos'', the first contemporary work written in the Galician language by

Rosalía de Castro María Rosalía Rita de Castro (; 23 February 1837 – 15 July 1885), was a Galician poet and novelist, considered one of the most important figures of the 19th-century Spanish literature and modern lyricism. Widely regarded as the greatest Gali ...

(1837–1885), who later became one of the most important

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

s in the history of Galicia. ''Cantares gallegos'' was first published on May 17, 1863. Since 1963, each Galician Literature Day has been dedicated to a different writer in the Galician language. Only writers who have been dead for at least ten years are eligible, and the choice is made by the Royal Galician Academy. There is only one precedent of a "shared" Day: in 1998, the day was dedicated to

Martín Codax Martin Codax or Codaz, Martín Codax () or Martim Codax was a Galician medieval ''joglar'' (non-noble composer and performer, as opposed to a ''trobador''), possibly from Vigo, Galicia in present-day Spain. He may have been active during the ...

Xohán de Cangas Johan de Cangas (or ''Xohan de Cangas'' in an anachronistically modernized Galician form) was a ''jograr'' or non-noble troubadour, probably active during the thirteenth century. He seems to have been from—or associated with – Cangas do Morrazo ...

and

Mendinho Mendinho, also ''Meendinho'', ''Mendiño'' and ''Meendiño'', was a medieval Iberian poet. Nothing is known about Mendinho except by inference. Scholars generally assume from the reference to the shrine of ''San Simión'' (in the modern Isle of ...

, together with the authors of the medieval songs (

cantiga A ''cantiga'' (''cantica'', ''cantar'') is a medieval monophonic song, characteristic of the Galician-Portuguese lyric. Over 400 extant ''cantigas'' come from the ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'', narrative songs about miracles or hymns in praise of ...

s).

History

On the 20th of March 1963, three members of the

(Manuel Gómez Román, Xesús Ferro Couselo e Francisco Fernández del Riego) presented this institution with the proposal to celebrate the 17th of May to gather the “material heartbeat of the Galician intellectual activity”. They estimated that the book of poems by

(''Cantares Gallegos'') was the first masterpiece of contemporary Galician literature, and therefore the inaugurator of the literary movement known as O Rexurdimento. The real date of publication of Cantares Gallegos is actually unknown, but this day was chosen due to the written dedication from Rosalía to the Galician writer Cecilia Böhl de Faber (Fernán Caballero). To commemorate the first Galician Literature Day, a critical edition of ''Cantares Gallegos'' was published by famous writer Fermín Bouza-Brey. The festivity had an extraordinary reach and significance, and it was well received not only among the literary elite, but also among the general public. From this day, this festivity is celebrated every year and it is dedicated to a significant figure of

Galician literature Galician-language literature is the literature written in Galician. The earliest works in Galician language are from the early 13th-century '' trovadorismo'' tradition. In the Middle Ages, ''Galego-português'' ( Galician-Portuguese) was a langu ...

. The sole condition is that on the year of the year of their commemoration, a minimum of ten years must have passed since the death of the honoured person. Officially, it has been a public holiday in Galicia since 1991. In 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the Academy announced that for the first time in its 57-year history, the celebration would not take place on May 17, moving instead to October 31, just one day after the 110th birthday of the honouree, Ricardo Carvalho Calero. Finally, health restrictions meant that the act had to be postponed again, until December 12.

List of authors honoured on Galician Literature Day

These are the authors who have been honored on Galician Literature Day: *1963

*1964

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao Alfonso Daniel Manuel Rodríguez Castelao (30 January 1886 – 7 January 1950), commonly known as Castelao, was a Galician politician, writer, painter and doctor. He is one of the fathers of Galician nationalism, promoting Galician ident ...

*1965

Eduardo Pondal Eduardo María González-Pondal Abente (February 8, 1835 – March 8, 1917) was a Galician (Spain) poet, who wrote in both Galician and Spanish. Background Of Hidalgo origin, Pondal was the youngest of a family of seven. From 1844 onwards h ...

*1966 Francisco Añón Paz *1967

Manuel Curros Enríquez Manuel Curros Enríquez (15 September 1851 – 7 March 1908) was a Galician writer, poet and journalist. He wrote in the Galician language, and is considered to be one of the leading figures of Galician culture and identity. Early life Manuel ...

*1968

Florentino López Cuevillas Florentino López Alonso-Cuevillas (November 14, 1886 – July 30, 1958) was a Spanish anthropologist and prehistorian, although in the course of his life he also became involved in writing, primarily essays and fiction. Like several other Galic ...

*1969

Antonio Noriega Varela Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

*1970

Marcial Valladares Núñez Marcial is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name *Marcial Ávalos, Paraguayan footballer *Marcial Calleja (1863–1914), Filipino lawyer *Marcial Cuquerella (born 1977), Spanish businessma ...

*1971

Gonzalo López Abente Gonzalo may refer to: * Gonzalo (name) * Gonzalo, Dominican Republic, a small town * Isla Gonzalo, a subantarctic island operated by the Chilean Navy * Hurricane Gonzalo, 2014 See also * Gonzalez (disambiguation) * Gonzales (disambiguation) * ...

*1972

Valentín Lamas Carvajal Valentín Lamas Carvajal (1849–1906) was a Spanish journalist. He was one of the founders of Royal Galician Academy. He studied high school in his hometown and in 1870 he moved to Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Sant ...

*1973

Manuel Lago González Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

*1974 Johán Vicente Viqueira *1975

Xoán Manuel Pintos Villar Xoán is Galician for John. Notable people with the name include: * Xoán Paredes (born in 1975), Galician geographer * Xoán de Novoa (João da Nova), Spanish explorer, 1460–1509 * (born 1946), Spanish politician See also * João * John (d ...

*1976

Ramón Cabanillas Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramón (footballer, born 1950), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1983), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1988), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Br ...

*1977

Antón Vilar Ponte Antón is a corregimiento in Antón District, Coclé Province, Panama. It is located near the north-western shore of the Gulf of Panama The Gulf of Panama () is a gulf of the Pacific Ocean off the southern coast of Panama, where most of east ...

*1978 *1979

Manuel Antonio Manuel Antonio Pérez Sánchez (July 12, 1900 – January 28, 1930), better known as Manuel Antonio, was a Galician poet. He was honoured on Galician Literature Day Galician Literature Day () is a public holiday observed in Galicia, Spain. ...

*1980 Afonso X o Sabio *1981

Vicente Risco Vicente Martínez Risco Agüero (October 1, 1884 – April 30, 1963) was a Galician intellectual of the 20th century. He was a founder member of Xeración Nós, and among the most important figures in the history of Galician literature. He is ...

*1982

Luís Amado Carballo Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

*1983 Manuel Leiras Pulpeiro *1984

Armando Cotarelo Valledor Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...

*1985 Antón Lousada Diéguez *1986 Aquilino Iglesia Alvariño *1987 Francisca Herrera Garrido *1988

Ramón Otero Pedrayo Ramón Otero Pedrayo (alternative spelling ''Outeiro Pedraio'') ( Ourense, Galicia, 1888 – Ourense, 1976) was a Galician geographer, writer and intellectual. He was a key member of the Galician cultural and political movement '' Xeración Nós ...

*1989

Celso Emilio Ferreiro Celso Emilio Ferreiro Míguez (1912–1979) was a Galicianism (Galicia), Galicianist activist, writer, poet, and political journalist. Early years Ferreiro was born in Celanova, into a well-off Galicianist family. In 1932, at the age of twenty, ...

*1990

Luís Pimentel Luís Vázquez Fernández-Pimentel (b. Lugo, 18 December 1895 – d. Lugo, 13 February 1958) was a Galician poet. Galician Literature Day is dedicated to him in 1990.Álvaro Cunqueiro Álvaro Cunqueiro Mora ( Mondoñedo, December 22, 1911 – Vigo, February 28, 1981) was a Galician novelist, poet, playwright, and journalist. He is the author of many works in both Galician and Spanish, including ''Merlín e familia'' ("M ...

*1992 Fermín Bouza-Brey *1993 Eduardo Blanco Amor *1994

Luis Seoane Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...

*1995

Rafael Dieste Rafael Dieste ( Rianxo, 1899–Santiago de Compostela, 1981) was a Galician poet, philosopher, short-story writer, and dramatist writing mostly in Galician language, but also in Spanish language. He began to write with the encouragement of anothe ...

*1996 Xesús Ferro Couselo *1997 Ánxel Fole *1998

and

;
together with the authors of the medieval songs (

s) *1999 Roberto Blanco Torres *2000

Manuel Murguía Manuel Antonio Martínez Murguía (17 May 1833 – 2 February 1923) was a Galician journalist and historian who created the Real Academia Galega. He was one of the main figures in Galician '' Rexurdimento'' movement. He is also remembered as ...

*2001

Eladio Rodríguez Eladio Rodríguez González (July 27, 1864 – April 14, 1949) was a Galician language poet and author associated with the Galicia region of Spain. In 2001, he was honored in the Galician Literature Day Galician Literature Day () is a pu ...

*2002 Frei Martín Sarmiento *2003 Antón Avilés de Taramancos *2004 Xaquín Lorenzo *2005

Lorenzo Varela Xesús Manuel Lorenzo Varela Vázquez (August 10, 1916 in Havana – November 25, 1978 in Madrid) was a Galician poet who spent most of his adult life in exile in Argentina. Life and work Varela was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1916 to Galician pa ...

*2006

Manuel Lugrís Freire Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

*2007

María Mariño Carou Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

*2008 Xosé María Álvarez Blázquez *2009

Ramón Piñeiro López Ramón Piñeiro López ( Láncara, 31 May 1915 – Santiago de Compostela, 27 August 1990) was a Spanish writer and politician who was active in Galicia. He was honored at the 2009 Galician Literature Day. Piñeiro studied literature and philoso ...

*2010

Uxío Novoneyra Eugenio Novo Neira, known as Uxío Novoneyra ( Parada de Moreda, Courel, 19 January 1930 – Santiago de Compostela, 30 October 1999), was a Galician poet, journalist and writer of children's literature from Galicia, Spain. He was born in ...

*2011

Lois Pereiro Luis Ángel Sánchez Pereiro alias Lois Pereiro (born Monforte de Lemos, February 16, 1958-died La Coruña, May 24, 1996) was a Spanish poet and writer. Galician Literature Day was dedicated to him in 2011. Biography He was born in Monforte d ...

*2012 Valentín Paz-Andrade *2013

Roberto Vidal Bolaño Roberto Vidal Bolaño (31 July 1950 – 11 September 2002) was a Galician playwright and actor. Galician Literature Day is dedicated to him in 2013.Xosé María Díaz Castro *2015 Xosé Filgueira Valverde *2016

Manuel María Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

*2017 Carlos Casares *2018 María Victoria Moreno *2019

Antón Fraguas Antonio Fraguas Fraguas (or Antón Fraguas Fraguas) was Galicianist historian, ethnographer, anthropologist, and geographer. In 1923, he cofounded the Sociedade da Lingua, whose main goals were the defense of the Galician language and the creat ...

*2020

Ricardo Carballo Calero Ricardo Carballo Calero ( Ferrol, 1910 – Santiago de Compostela, 1990), self-styled as Ricardo Carvalho Calero from 1981 onward, was a Spanish philologist, academic and writer. He was the first Professor of Galician Language and Literature at ...

*2021 Xela Arias *2022 Florencio Delgado *2023

Francisco Fernández del Riego Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Commu ...

*2024 Luisa Villalta *2025 Pandeireteiras de Mens

References

External links

Real Academia Galega
{{authority control May observances Language observances Culture of Galicia Annual events in Galicia (Spain) Public holidays in Spain