Juan Larrea

Juan Larrea Celayeta (13 March 1895 – 9 July 1980) was a Spanish essayist and poet belonging to the Generation of '27. Though he wrote much of his poetry in French, he is considered one of the most influential figures in Spanish Surrealism.

Life and career Larrea was born in Bilbao and studied literature at the University of Salamanca. In 1921, he moved to Madrid, where he befriended Gerardo Diego and Vicente Huidobro, becoming deeply involved in the Ultraist movement. Searching for a new poetic language, he moved to Paris in 1926. There, along with Peruvian poet César Vallejo, he founded the ephemeral but influential magazine Favorables París Poema.

During his time in France, Larrea's work came under the influence of Surrealism. His poetry from this period, largely written in French, remained unpublished for decades until the release in Italy and Spain of his Versión celeste in 1969 . Larrea challenged the view, common in criticism from the 1960s onwards, that he was a surrealiat. Calling himself a 'mystic of poetry', he affirmed that the label which best suited him was that of being an ultraist ((cf.ultraísmo)). Larrea would later write extensively on the painting's symbolism in his book The Vision of the "Guernica" (1947).

Archaeological legacy An incessant collector of pre-Columbian art, Larrea amassed a significant collection of Inca artifacts. In 1937, amidst the Civil War, he donated a substantial portion of his collection to the National Archaeological Museum of Spain to ensure its preservation.

Selected works

Poetry Oscuro dominio (1935) Versión celeste (1969) Orbe (1990, posthumous)

Essays Arte Peruano (1935) Rendición de Espíritu (1943) El Surrealismo entre Viejo y Nuevo mundo (1944) The Vision of the "Guernica" (1947) La Religión del Lenguaje Español (1951) La Espada de la Paloma (1956) César Vallejo o Hispanoamérica en la Cruz de su Razón (1958) Teleología de la cultura (1965) Del surrealismo a Machu Picchu (1967) Guernica (1977)