José Morante

Born in El Bohodón, Ávila, in 1956, José Luis Morante is a Spanish poet and literary critic. He began his teaching career in 1978 and later worked for many years as a Social Sciences teacher in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, where he also helped foster local literary life through magazines and cultural projects.

His poems started appearing in journals in the mid-1980s, and his first book, Rotonda con estatuas, was published in 1990. Over time he built a substantial body of poetry and prose, and his writing received major recognitions including the Luis Cernuda Prize, the International San Juan de la Cruz Poetry Prize, the Hermanos Argensola Prize, and the Espadaña Prize for his overall work.

Alongside poetry, he has written criticism, interviews, diaries, and aphorisms, and has collaborated with newspapers and literary magazines. That mix of creative work, close reading, and long experience as a teacher gives his author profile a thoughtful, approachable character.