Jose Luis Hidalgo street

José Luis Hidalgo (Torres, Santander 1919-Madrid) is one of the most representative poets of the existencial movement of the first post-war promotion, and he was a poet of the Quinta 42 Santanderina, founder of the Proel magazine.

The most defining feature in his compositions is the metaphysic search around the Death, the time the human being and God.

José Luis Hidalgo lost his mother very early and this circumstance would affect him deeply and is present in some of his first poems. In 1929, he moved to his uncle’s Don Casimiro Iglesias house, where he spends his childhood and youth.

In 1934, when he was 15, he starts publishing his first compositions mainly tales and greguerias in the Impulsor in Torrelavega.

His interest in literature and modern art formed him as an early painter and writer, he made speeches about poetry of “vanguarde” in the Library of his city. This artistic side makes him take part as a poster designer in the popular Olympics in Barcelona (July 1936) where he is taken by the revolution and civil-war.

In his home city, he would workas a teacher in Santander and Torrelavega.

In 1937, he write “Songs For Children”. In 1938, he was forced to go to the Army, and he is sent to Pamplona from this period are the poems “Message in the Air”, “City”, “10 poems by the sea”, where you can see the creationist and surrealist influence.

In 1939, he was sent to Extremadura and Andalucia, where he was ordered to take the census of the dead people of the civil-war, this will influence him terribly and this is where he starts his worry about death.

His last period is made in Valencia, where he studies drawing and paiting in the Art School of San Carlos, there he became a friend  of Ricardo Blasco and Jorge Campos, a group which we create the magazine “Corcel”, Together they take part in literary meetings as the one in Bar Galicia and They meet poets like Vicente Gaos.

In 1943, he finishes his studies and travels to Madrid where he opts to the prize Adonais with his book “Root”. Finally, José Hierro lives with him in Valencia due to political problems. The town Hall of Torrelavega, named a street after him, because the famous poet made his first exhibitions in the popular Library of Torrelavega.


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