Centre for the Study of Hispanic Exile

Luis Cernuda [1902–1963]

Date of Birth: 21 Sep 1902 Seville
Died: 5 Nov 1963 Mexico D. F. (age 61)

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Spanish poet and literary critic.

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1902–1915 Seville. Acetres, 6
Spends his childhood years in Seville.
1909–1915 Seville. Calle Bailén
Primary education and first year of secondary education at San Ramón school.
1915–1918 Seville. Av. de la Borbolla
His father, a soldier, is promoted. They move into army barracks.
1915–1919 Seville. Plaza Ponce de León
Secondary education at the Escolapios school.
1918–1920 Seville. Calle Jáuregui
After his father's retirement, they move to a new home.
1919 Seville. Plaza Ponce de León
Begins his studies in Law at the University of Seville, where he meets Pedro Salinas.
1920 Seville. Calle Aire
His father dies. The family move.
Dec 1925–1928 Madrid
Publishes his poems in Revista de Occidente, Mediodía, Verso y Prosa and Litoral.
Jan 1926 Madrid. Calle San Bernardino
First trip to Madrid. Thanks to Salinas, he meets Ortega y Gasset, Juan Chabás, Melchor Fernández Almagro, Juan Ramón Jiménez and Enrique Díez-Canedo.
Jul 1928 Seville. Plaza Ponce de León
His mother dies.
Jul–Sep 1928 Seville. Calle Rosario
After his mother's death, he moves to a guesthouse before leaving Seville.
4–14 Sep 1928 Malaga
Spends a few days in Málaga with his friends the poets Emilio Prados, Manuel Altolaguirre and José María Hinojosa.
17 Sep–10 Nov 1928 Madrid. Calle Narváez
Stays in Madrid.
Nov 1928–Jun 1929 Toulouse. Benjamin Constant, 37
Appointed to a lecturership at the École Normale through the Centro de Estudios Históricos with the help of Salinas.
Jun 1929 Madrid. Lope de Rueda 10
Madrid. Calle Fuencarral
Returns to Madrid.
Jan 1930 Madrid
Starts to work in León Sánchez Cuesta's bookshop.
Jan 1931–Jul 1932 Madrid. Calle doctor Cortezo
Moves home.
Sep 1931 Madrid
Begins to write for the Heraldo de Madrid.
1932–1936 Madrid
Contributes to the journals Héroe and Octubre and the newspaper Heraldo de Madrid.
Jul 1932 First trip with the Misiones Pedagógicas. He travels to Cádiz, Segovia and Galicia.
Aug 1932–Jul 1936 Madrid. Viriato 73
Lives with Concha Méndez and Manuel Altolaguirre.
1934 Continues to collaborate in the Misiones Pedagógicas.
19 Jul 1936–Sep 1936 Paris
Travels to Paris after Franco's uprising as secretary to the ambassador Álvaro de Albornoz.
Sep 1936 Madrid
Collaborates with the Republican army and the Alianza de Escritores Antifascistas: radio broadcasts, articles, speeches.
1937 Valencia
Takes part in the 2nd Antifascist Intellectuals Congress in Valencia.
1937 Valencia
Co-founder of the journal Hora de España.
1938 Oxford
Cambridge/United Kingdom
The poet Stanley Richardson arranges for him to give lectures in Oxford and Cambridge. Tutors a group of Basque refugee children.
Feb 1938 London
Leaves Spain for London via Paris.
Aug–Sep 1938 Paris. 15, Rue Monsieur le Prince
Returns to Paris.
21 Sep 1938–15 Jan 1939 Cranleigh/UK
Teaches at a secondary school in Cranleigh.
Jan 1939–Aug 1943 Glasgow/UK
Lector at the University of Glasgow. Gives lectures in other UK universities. Short stays in Oxford and London, where he meets Gregorio Prieto, Rafael Martínez Nadal, Salvador de Madariaga, Joan Gili and others.
Aug 1943–Jun 1945 Cambridge. Emmanuel College
Appointed lector at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. Regular broadcasts in Spanish for the BBC World Service.
Jul 1945–Sep 1947 London. 59, Hyde Park Gate
Works for the Spanish Institute, where he teaches Spanish literature.
Sep 1947–Aug 1952 South Hadley/Massachussets
Appointed as a lecturer at Mount Holyoke College thanks to Concha de Albornoz. Gives lectures at Harvard University, Middlebury College, where he meets Salinas once more.
17 Aug–12 Sep 1949 México D. F.
First trip to Mexico, where he meets many other exiles.
Jul–Sep 1950 México D. F.
Visits Mexico for the second time.
Feb–Nov 1951 México D. F.
Spends sabbatical year in Mexico.
Nov 1951–Jan 1952 Havana/Cuba
Trip to Cuba. Gives lectures and meets regularly with María Zambrano and José Lezama Lima.
Sep 1952 Mexico D. F.
Moves to Mexico. Lives at Concha Méndez's house. Teaches courses at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and spends his summers in Acapulco.
1954–1960 México D. F.
Appointed lecturer at UNAM.
1955 México D. F.
Cernuda is made a fellow of the Colegio de México.
Jun–Jul 1960 Los Angeles
Invited by the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) to give a summer course on Spanish Literature.
Aug 1961–Jun 1962 San Francisco
Appointed professor of Literature by the San Francisco State College. Gives a lecture at Berkeley University.
Sep 1962–Jun 1963 Los Angeles. Ocean Avenue
Appointed lecturer at UCLA.
Dec–Aug 1963 Xalapa
Gives lectures at the Universidad Veracruzana.
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