José Albi Fita (also known as Josep Albi Fita in

Valencian Valencian can refer to: * Something related to the Valencian Community ( Valencian Country) in Spain * Something related to the city of Valencia * Something related to the province of Valencia in Spain * Something related to the old Kingdom of ...

) (1922 – 7 June 2010) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

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 ...

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

, and

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

. He was the Honorary President of the Asociación Valenciana de Escritores y Críticos Literarios (CLAVE - Critics of Literary Writers Association of Valencia). Albi was the "last of the

post- ''Post-'' (stylized in all caps) is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Rosenstock, released on January 1, 2018, without any promotional lead-up. The album was released on Polyvinyl Record Co. in the United States and ...

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

poets".

Early life and education

In 1922, José Albi Fita was born in

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

but grew up in Sueca. He studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at the

Universitat de València The University of Valencia ( ), shortened to UV, is a public research university in Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Valencian Community. It is regarded as one of Spain's leading academic i ...

, where he met

Joan Fuster Joan Fuster i Ortells (; 23 November 1922 – 21 June 1992) was an influential Catalan writer. He is considered a major writer in the Valencian language, and his work contributed to reinvigorate left-wing, pro-Catalan nationalism in Valencia d ...

, and the Universidad de Deusto. Albi received a degree in philosophy and letters from the

Universidad de Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon (Spain). Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universi ...

and earned a doctorate from the

Universidad Complutense de Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

. During his lifetime, Alibi remained in contact with

Miguel Hernández Miguel Hernández Gilabert (30 October 1910 – 28 March 1942 ) was a 20th-century Spanish-language poet and playwright associated with the Generation of '27 and the Generation of '36 movements. Born and raised in a family of low resources, he ...

Dámaso Alonso Dámaso Alonso y Fernández de las Redondas (22 October 1898 – 25 January 1990) was a Spanish poet, philologist and literary critic. Though a member of the Generation of '27, his best-known work dates from the 1940s onwards. Early life and ed ...

and Gabriel Celaya.

Career milestones

In the 1950s, inspired by a reading of ''Marinero en tierra'' by

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 numer ...

, Albi began to write poetry for the first time in earnest. He began publishing the ''Cuadernos literarios'' journal and his literary critique appeared in ''Verbo y Cuadernos literarios'', a review which he founded in 1954. Albi began writing under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

, "Diez Claves" or "Ten Keys" while employing

surrealistic Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

introversion Extraversion and introversion are a central trait dimension in human personality theory. The terms were introduced into psychology by Carl Jung, though both the popular understanding and current psychological usage are not the same as Jung's o ...

terms. He is also noted for his collaboration with

in anthologizing the work of Ángel Crespo,

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his maternal ...

, and the Spanish surrealists.

Awards

As a poet Albi was popular both with critics and the general public, and received a number of awards. In 1957, he received his first significant honor from the

Generalitat Valenciana The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self-government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organized. It consists of seven institutions including the ''Corts Valen ...

, here was not Generalitat Valenciana in 1957, this must be an errorthe "premio Valencia de Literatura" (Valencia Literature Prize), for ''Vida de un hombre''. In 1958, he won the "premio Gabriel Miró" (Gabriel Miró Award) for ''El silencio de Dios''. In 1977, Albi received a second "premio Valencia" for ''Odisea 77''. In 1978, he was awarded the "premio Miguel Ángel de Argumosa" (Miguel Ángel de Argumosa Prize)for ''Elegía atlántica''. In 2002, Albi received his third "premio Valencia de Literatura". Moreover, he served as honorary president of the Asociación Valenciana de Escritores y Críticos Literarios (CLAVE - Critics of Literary Writers Association Valencia).

Final years and death

Albi maintained interest in Oliva, Spain as that was his

motherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

and the Sea side resort of

Xàbia () or () is a coastal town and municipality in the ''comarca'' of Marina Alta, in the province of Alicante, Valencia, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Situated on the side of the Montgó Massif, behind a wide bay and sheltered between two rocky ...

. Albi died at his home in Jávea on 7 June 2010.

Bibliography

Following is a list of Albi's various works in order of their appearance: * ''Vida de un hombre'' * ''El silencio de Dios'' * ''Odisea 77'' * ''Elegía atlántica'' * ''Poemas del amor de siempre'' * ''Septiembre en Paris'' * ''Bajo palabra de amor'' * ''Elegías apasionadas'' * ''Piedra viva''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albi, Jose 1922 births 2010 deaths Writers from Valencia Spanish literary critics Catalan-language writers Literary critics of Spanish Spanish male poets 20th-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish translators