born Dec. 24, 1881, Moguer, Spain
died May 29, 1958, San Juan, P.R.
Spanish poet.
His early poetry reflects the influence of Rubén Darío ; this highly emotional style gave way to a more austere tone с 1917. He achieved popularity in America with Platero and I (1917), a prose story of a man and his donkey. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), he allied himself with Republican forces; after their defeat he moved to Puerto Rico, where he spent most of the rest of his life. His poetic output was immense. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956.