DARÍO JARAMILLO AGUDELO: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE, WORKS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Darío Jaramillo Agudelo (1947) is a Colombian writer, novelist, poet and essayist whose literary work is valued as one of the most current and influential. The intellectual has been considered one of the most important authors of the so-called "Disenchanted Generation" and of the 20th and 21st centuries in Colombia.

Jaramillo Agudelo's literary work has been characterized by being critical and sharp. The writer has used clear and precise language, sometimes with an ironic tonality. His production is wide and covers the genres of the novel, the short story, the essay and poetry.

Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. Source: ecured.cu

Some of the most prominent and recognized titles of this Colombian author have been: Treatise on Rhetoric, From the Eye to the Language, The Body and Another Thing, Alec's Death, The Inner Voice and History of a Passion. Darío Jaramillo Agudelo's performance as a writer has earned him several recognitions inside and outside of his country.

Biography

Birth and family

Darío was born on July 28, 1947 in the town of Santa Rosa de Osos in Antioquia. Data on the writer's family and personal life are scarce. Now, it is known that he came from a cultured family, since from his father he inherited a taste for reading and poetry.

Studies

Darío Jaramillo Agudelo attended his first years of study in his hometown. Later the writer moved with his family to Medellín and there he completed his educational training. Once he finished high school, the young Agudelo enrolled in the National University for a career in civil engineering, but soon he retired.

Finally Darío decided to study economics and law at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá.

First tasks

Along with the exercise of his professions, Jaramillo Agudelo joined various cultural tasks dependent on the government. The writer was part of the publication Golpe de dice and was an active member of the “Simón y Lola Guberek” foundation.

First publications

The first literary publication that Darío released was in the poetic genre and he did so in 1974 with the work Histories. After that, the author made a compilation entitled La nueva historia de Colombia in 1976.

Two years later his second collection of poems came out, which he entitled Treatise on Rhetoric. With this work the author obtained the Eduardo Cote Lamus National Poetry Prize.

Literary growth

Once Jaramillo Agudelo began his literary career, his production did not stop. The author published a good number of works in the eighties, some of the most outstanding were: Love poems, Adventures and misadventures of Pánfila with numbers, Alec's death and Letters crossed.

Cultural activity

The writer was appointed cultural coordinator of the Banco de la República by Belisario Antonio Betancur Cuartas, the then president of Colombia. This work was carried out from 1985 to 2007. During those years Darío was in charge of preserving and organizing the collections of said entity.

On the other hand, Jaramillo Agudelo managed to strengthen the National Library Network and developed the project to consolidate the cultural heritage of the “Miguel Urrutia” and del Oro museums.

Last years

Regarding the last years of the writer's life, it is known that until 2007 he was in charge of the cultural department of the Banco de la República and that he worked for a time as a university professor.

Darío Jaramillo Agudelo continued adding titles to his list of literary production. Some of his most current publications have been: Only by chance, Nicolás learns the numbers, Ghosts, It is enough to close your eyes and Select poetry. The author is currently seventy-two years old.

Awards and honours

- Eduardo Cote Lamus National Poetry Prize in 1978 for Treatise of Rhetoric.

- Finalist in the Plaza y Janés Colombian Novel Contest in 1983 for La muerte de Alec.

- Finalist for the José Manuel Lara Foundation Award for a novel published in Spain in 2007 by La voz interior.

- José María de Pereda Short Novel Award in 2010 for Story of Simona.

- National Poetry Award in 2017 for The body and another thing.

- Recognized with the Federico García Lorca International Poetry Prize in 2018.

Style

Darío Jaramillo Agudelo's literary style was characterized by the use of clear and precise language. In the beginning, his poetic work was notorious for its satirical and sober tonality, more full of reason than feelings. Then his verses became more subjective and emotional.

Shield of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, place of studies of Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. Source: Javeriana, via Wikimedia Commons

As well as the author covered several literary genres, he also developed very varied themes. For example, he focused on love, language, economy, culture, life, the end of existence and developed various works aimed at children.

Plays

Poetry

- Histories (1974).

- Treatise of rhetoric (1978).

- Poems of love (1986, 2013).

- From the eye to the tongue (1995).

- Sing for singing (2001).

- Cats (2005).

- Music notebooks (2008).

- Only chance (2011).

- The body and another thing (2016).

Compilations made by the writer

- The new history of Colombia (1976).

- Sentimentario, anthology of love and erotic poetry from Colombia (1985).

- Anthology of pleasant readings (1988).

- Poemaquinas (1992).

Other books

- Introduction to foreign exchange law: general part (1976).

- Adventures and misadventures of Pánfila with numbers (1985).

- Guide for travelers (1991).

- José Asunción Silva his myth in time (1997).

- Nicolás learns the numbers (2012).

- Ghosts (2013).

- Little Red Riding Hood and the Forty Thieves (2015).

Novel

- The death of Alec (1983).

- Letters crossed (1983).

- The pin game (2002).

- Novel with a ghost (2004).

- The inner voice (2006).

- Memories of a happy man (2010).

- Story of Simona (2011).

Complete reissues

- 77 poems (1987).

- 127 poems (2000).

- Books of poems (2003).

Anthologies

- Poetic Anthology (1991).

- How much silence under this moon (1992).

- Reasons for the absent (1998).

- Although it's night (2000).

- Of love, of forgetfulness (2009).

- Just close your eyes (2015).

- Selected poetry (2018).

Autobiography

- History of a passion (2006).

Test

- Poetry in the Latin American popular song (2008).

- Dictionary (2014).

Fragment of "Someday"

"Someday I will write a poem

do not mention the air or the night;

a poem that omits the names of the flowers, that does not have jasmine or magnolias.

… Someday I will write a poem that limits itself

to pass

fingers through your skin

and turn your gaze into words.

Without comparisons, without metaphors, someday i will write

a poem that smells of you, a poem with the rhythm of your

pulsations, with the squeezed intensity of your

hug.

Someday I'll write a poem, the song

of my happiness ”.

References

1. Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
2. Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. (2019). Colombia: Banrepcultural. Recovered from: encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org.
3. Darío Jaramillo. (2014). (N / a): Writers. Recovered from: writers.org.
4. Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. (S. f.). Cuba: EcuRed. Recovered from: ecured.cu.
5. Herrera, G. (2012). Darío Jaramillo Agudelo. Biography and poems. Colombia: Colombian Literature. Recovered from: literaturecolombiana.wordpress.com.