Writer Luis Goytisolo dies, author of the emblematic 'Antagonía', at 91 years old
Academic of the RAE since 1995, Goytisolo won the National Prize for Spanish Letters in 2013 and the National Prize for Literature in 1992
The Barcelona-born writer Luis Goytisolo has died at the age of 91 in Vimbodí i Poblet, in Conca de Barberà, as reported by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), an institution of which he had been a member since 1995. Son of a family lineage of writers, Goytisolo is the author of an extensive literary work characterized by its capacity for innovation both formally and narratively. One of his most celebrated literary projects is the monumental tetralogy Antagonía —formed by the volumes Recuento, Los verdes de mayo hasta el mar, La cólera de Aquiles and Teoría del conocimiento—, which spans from the Civil War to late Francoism and with which he renewed Spanish narrative during the 70s and 80s. Throughout his career, he received the National Prize for Spanish Literature in 2013 and the National Prize for Literature in 1992.
Born in Barcelona on March 17, 1935, Luis Goytisolo was the brother of the also deceased writers José Agustín and Juan Goytisolo, who died in 1999 and 2017, respectively. Luis Goitysolo was elected a member of the RAE on March 24, 1994, taking office with the speech titled The impact of the image in contemporary Spanish narrative. The Barcelona-born writer was a member of the RAE Governing Board between 2000 and 2002 and censor between 2000 and 2008.
Among his works, titles such as 'Las afueras' (1958) stand out, a novel with which he won the Premi Biblioteca Breu, and 'Las mismas palabras' (1963). The first book of the tetralogy 'Antagonía', dedicated to his wife, María Antonia Gil Moreno de Mora, and which took him years of work, was 'Recuento'. He completed the quartet with 'Los verdes de mayo hasta el mar' (Premi Ciutat de Barcelona 1976), 'La cólera de Aquiles' (1979), and 'Teoría del conocimiento' (1981).
In the 80s, he published other novels such as 'Estela del fuego que se aleja' (1984), a title with which he won the Critics' Prize 1985, 'La paradoja del ave migratoria' (1987) or 'Fábulas' (1981). In 2019, he published the work 'Chispas'. He also authored the book 'Índico' (1992) and the essays 'Naturaleza de la novela' (2013) and 'El sueño de San Luis' (2015), the manuscript of which he donated to the National Library of Spain. In 2016, he published 'El atasco y demàs fábulas', a compilation of notes, reflections, and aphorisms written over forty years. Among the latest titles published are 'Coincidencias' (2017) and 'Chispas' (2019), in which he presents short texts on current society.
His literary career was recognized with several awards, including, the Premi Sèsam (1957), the Premi Biblioteca Breu for Las afueras (1958, reissued in 2018), the Premi Ciutat de Barcelona (1976), the Premi de la Crítica for Estela del fuego que se aleja' (1984), the Premi Nacional de Narrativa Assaig for Naturaleza de la novela (2013) and the Premi Nacional de les Lletres (2013). In July 2018, he was awarded the Premi Internacional Carlos Fuentes by the Secretariat of Culture of the Government of Mexico.
Luis Goytisolo was also a regular contributor to media outlets such as El País, ABC and Diario 16, and he also wrote and directed television documentaries such as the series Indico and Mediterraneo, broadcast by Televisión Española. In addition, he was also a member of the jury for important literary awards.
