Federico García Lorca - Nominee

“The artist, and particularly the poet, is always an anarchist in the best sense of the word. He must heed only the call that arises within him from three strong voices: the voice of death, with all its foreboding, the voice of love and the voice of art.”

- Federico Garcia Lorca

García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. Originally from Granada, he moved to Madrid in 1919 where he became part of Spain's avant-garde. From 1925 to 1928 he was passionately involved with Salvador Dalí, though it is said Dalí rejected his erotic advances. His heavily homoerotic Sonnets of Dark Love, written in November 1935 and shared only with close friends, were lost until 1983 when they were finally published in draft form. When Five Years Pass (Así Que Pasen Cinco Años, 1931), Blood Wedding (Bodas de Sangre, 1932), Yerma (1934), Diván del Tamarit (1931–1936) and House of Bernarda Alba (La Casa de Bernarda Alba) are generally regarded as his major works. Though he escaped the Spanish Civil War by moving back to Granada, he was arrested and assassinated on August 19, 1936 by the Nationalist militia. Significant controversy remains about the motives and details of his death including suggestions that he was targeted because of his sexual orientation, while others assert it was part of a political purge. Following his death García Lorca came to be lionized as "The finest poet of Imperial Spain." In spite of numerous exhumations, his remains have never been found. García Lorca is honored by a statue prominently located in Madrid's Plaza de Santa Ana.