Antonio Martínez Sarrión

Martínez Sarrión was born in Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha. He graduated with his baccalaureate in law from the University of Murcia in 1961.

In 1963, Martínez Sarrión moved to Madrid where he worked as a public official in the General State Administration. Between 1974 and 1976, he co-edited the literary magazine La Ilustración Poética Española e Iberoamericana with Jesús Munárriz and José Esteban.

His work was included in the acclaimed anthology of the critic Josep Maria Castellet Nueve Novísimos Poetas Españoles (Nine Brand-New Spanish Poets), which established him as a contemporary Spanish poet.

In contrast to the anti-realism of his contemporaries, the Novísimos, Martínez Sarrión is known for his sixtyeightish style that exhibits his admiration for beat poetry and the cultural, irrationalist, and mythical references (literature, cinema, jazz) that his fellows on the road would later adopt.

Another aspect of his work is occupied by memorialism. He published many articles and a trilogy of memories, which occupies his childhood years (Infancia y corrupciones, 1993); his university education (Una juventud, 1996) and his ascension to literary life. (Jazz y días de lluvia, 2002)

Martínez Sarrión was also a French translator. He created a Spanish version of the Les fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) by Charles Baudelaire, and also translated Victor Hugo's work "Lo que dice la boca de sombra y otros poemas" ("What the shadow mouth says and other poems"), Stendhal Translating Award in 1990. Other authors whose work he translated into Spanish are Jean Genet, Michel Leiris, Alfred de Musset, Nicolas Chamfort, Jacottet and Arthur Rimbaud.

He participated as a collaborator in the Spanish TV show Qué grande es el cine (How great cinema is) in La 2 and Cine en blanco y negro (Cinema in black and white) in Telemadrid, both presented and moderated by José Luis Garci.

• Information about Martínez Sarrión with excerpts of his poetical works (In Spanish)
• Poetic selection in Spanish.