Gloria Fuertes

Gloria Fuertes was born in 1917 in Madrid, Spain, where she lived most of her life. She worked at various office jobs and as a librarian to support her writing. Fuertes was part of the first generation of Spanish poets to come into prominence after the Civil War. She published fifteen books of poetry and thirty-four children's books. She was influenced by regionalism, naturalism and modernism. She wrote about the rural life of Cantabria, the social problems of her time, the role of women and the Spanish history and culture. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. She also received several awards and honors, such as the Fastenrath Prize from the Royal Spanish Academy, the National Literature Prize of Spain, the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise and the Gold Medal of Merit at Work. She went blind in 1940, but continued to write until her death in 1998. She was buried at the Cemetery of La Paz of Alcobendas in Madrid. She is considered one of the most important female writers of Spanish literature.