Zardoya, Concha (1914–2004)

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Zardoya, Concha (1914–2004)

Spanish poet and literary critic. Name variations: María Concepción Zardoya González. Born Nov 14, 1914, in Valparaíso, Chile; died April 21, 2004, in Madrid, Spain; dau. of Alfonso Zardoya Francés and Concepción González Ortiz (both Spanish); attended University of Madrid, 1934–36.

Moved with family to Spain (1932), eventually settling in Madrid; during siege of Madrid, moved to Valencia, where she read her poetry on the radio; published 1st book of poetry, Pájaros del Nuevo Mundo (1946), followed by Dominio del llanto (1947); wrote a screenplay about Goya, published multivolume compilations of Hispanic legends and stories, and translated works of Walt Whitman and Charles Morgan; began teaching Spanish at University of Illinois (1948), then at Tulane, Yale, Indiana and Berkeley; as an academic, wrote surveys of modern Spanish poetry, a biography of poet Miguel Hernández, and a Spanish-language survey of American literature; returned to Spain upon retirement (1977); in all, published more than 2 dozen vols. of poetry, several winning literary prizes.

See also Women in World History.