Juan Luis Panero

Juan Luis Panero, Spanish poet born in Madrid in 1942

Son of Leopoldo Panero, nephew of Juan Panero and brother of Leopoldo María Panero. He was born into a well-off family receiving education in El Escorial and afterwards in London. His rebel and travelling spirit brought him to stroll around different countries in America, giving him the opportunity of meeting renowned writers such as Octavio Paz, Jorge Luis Borges and Juan Rulfo among others. He prepares anthologies of poets such as his father Leopoldo Panero, Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz. He did selections of Colombian Poetry (1880-1980) and Contemporary Mexican Poetry.

His poetic career started in 1968 with the publication of his book "A través del tiempo" (Through time), followed by, "Los trucos de la muerte" (The tricks of death) in 1975, "Despariciones y fracasos" (Disappearances and failures) in 1978, "Juegos para aplazar la muerte" (Games to postpone death) in 1984, "Antes que llegue la noche" (Before night arrives) in 1985, got him the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona. In 1988 with "Galerías y fantasmas" (Galleries and ghosts), he got the Premio Internacional de Poesía de la Fundación Loewe. He lives in Gerona since 1985.

In 1976 Jaime Chávarri begins the shooting of what was supposed to be illustrated report about the father: Leopoldo Panero, the material turns into the film "El Desencanto" (The Disenchantment) which will end up being a symbol of the family and of the age and will be a cult film for a whole generation. In the first half of "El Desencanto" the mother, paradoxically called Felicidad (Happiness), and two of her sons, describe the poet with their memories, though he does not appear in the film himself, no photograph, no video excerpt, he is the ghost that haunts this family. In the second half of the film Leopoldo María Panero, the son, turns into the central axle of the movie. But, along this special, unique and decadent family portrait is the burden of an age that is wearing out. The last bits of the Franco times can be seen through the evocation of old glory of the man who was one of Franco's official writers. "El Desencanto" was as well the last movie mutilated by cinematographic censorship in Spain and one of Chávarri's most critically acclaimed works. In 1994 "Después de tantos Ańos" (After so many years) would arrive, a film in which Ricardo Franco takes up the task of the director that Jaime Chávarri undertook two decades ago.