Although Rafael Alberti established his reputation almost entirely on the basis of his poetry, he became involved in drama after emigrating to Argentina, writing plays of his own and adapting Miguel de Cervantes’ El cerco de Numancia (c. 1585, discovered in 1784; Numantia: A Tragedy, 1870) for the modern stage in 1944.

Alberti’s most notable achievement in prose, a work of considerable interest for the student of his poetry, was his autobiography, La arboleda perdida (1942; The Lost Grove, 1976). In addition, he was a talented painter and supplied illustrations for some of his later volumes.

Rafael Alberti had at once the ill luck and the singular good fortune to flourish during Spain’s second great literary boom. Despite his acknowledged worth, he was overshadowed by several of his contemporaries—in particular, by Federico García Lorca. Although Alberti’s name is likely to come up in any discussion of the famous generación del 27, or Generation of ‘27, he generally languishes near the end of the list. On the other hand, the extraordinary atmosphere of the times did much to foster his talents; even among the giants, he earned acceptance and respect. He may occasionally have been lost in the crowd, but it was a worthy crowd.

His first volume, Marinero en tierra, won Spain’s National Prize for Literature in 1924, and throughout his long career, his virtuosity never faltered. Always a difficult poet, he never gave the impression that his obscurity stemmed from incompetence. His political ideology—Alberti was the first of his circle to embrace communism openly—led him to covet the role of “poet of the streets,” but Alberti will be remembered more for his poems of exile, which capture better than any others the poignant aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

Ultimately, Alberti stands out as a survivor. Many of his great contemporaries died in the civil war or simply lapsed into a prolonged silence. Despite his wholehearted involvement in the conflict, Alberti managed to persevere after his side lost and to renew his career. He continued to publish at an imposing rate, took up new activities, and became a force in the burgeoning literary life of Latin America, as evidenced by his winning of the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world’s highest literary honor, in 1983. Consistent in his adherence to communism, he received the Lenin Prize for his political verse in 1965. Oddly enough, then, Alberti emerges as a constant—an enduring figure in a world of flux, a practicing poet of consistent excellence during six decades.