Luis Carlos González
Luis Carlos González | |
|---|---|
| Born | Luis Carlos González Mejía 26 September 1908 Pereira, Colombia |
| Died | 17 August 1985 (aged 76) Pereira, Colombia |
Luis Carlos González Mejía[a] (1908–1985) was a Colombian poet and lyricist. Many of his poems were put to music, and he is considered one of the most significant lyricists of the bambuco genre. His poem "La Ruana", which was made into a song of the same name by José Macías, is taught in schools in Risaralda.
Biography
Luis Carlos González Mejía was born on 26 September 1908 in Pereira, in the Colombian department of Risaralda.[1]
González wrote poetry about rural Colombian life, and his subjects included cattle herders, aguardiente, and the customs of local people.[2][3] His poems were initially published in the weekly magazine Sábado, and later collected in his first book, Sibaté, which was published in 1944.[1][2] He went on to publish several other books of poetry.[2]
Many of González's poems were put to music, mostly in bambuco style, by composers including Arturo Henao, Fabio Ospina, Francisco Bedoya, and Gustavo Adolfo Renjifo.[2] González is considered one of the most significant lyricists of the bambuco genre.[4] José Macías wrote the song "La Ruana" using lyrics from González's poem of the same name, which since 2018 has been taught in schools in Risaralda.[5][6] For several years, González helped organise the National Bambuco Competition in Pereira.[2]
González died in Pereira on 17 August 1985.[2] On 26 September 2008, the centenary of his birth, González was celebrated by the creation of the día de la pereiranidad (lit. transl. "day of Pereira-nity"), a day of festivities in Pereira.[7]
Books of poetry
- Sibaté (1944)
- Pereira canta (1963)
- Asilo de versos (1963)
- Fototipias de Urbano Cañarte (1978)
- Retocando imágenes (1984)
Notes
- ↑ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Mejía.
References
- 1 2 Carolina Iriarte (1999). "González, Luis Carlos". In Emilio Casares Rodicio (ed.). Diccionario de la Música Española e Hispanoamericana (in Spanish). Vol. 5: Faura – Guataca. Sociedad General de Autores y Editores. p. 745. ISBN 84-8048-308-3.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Daniel Mondragón (10 August 2025), "Luis Carlos González: 40 años sin el poeta de "La ruana"" [40 years without the poet of "La ruana"], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), retrieved 20 July 2026
- ↑ José I. Pinilla Aguilar (1980). "González Luis Carlos". Cultores de la Música Colombiana (in Spanish). Editorial Ariana. p. 237. OCLC 253182806.
- ↑ Lubín Enrique Mazuera Millán (1972). Orígenes Históricos del Bambuco, Teoría Musical y Cronología de Autores y Compositores Colombianos (in Spanish) (Second ed.). Cali: Imprenta Departamental. p. 141. OCLC 802151791.
- ↑ "José Macías: de la ruana a la paloma" [from the ruana to the dove], El Tiempo (in Spanish), 5 April 1997, retrieved 20 July 2026
- ↑ Andrea Cardona (12 September 2018), "Luis Carlos González, el gran poeta del bambuco suena en Risaralda" [Luis Carlos González, the great poet of the bambuco, can be heard in Risaralda], Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish), retrieved 21 July 2026
- ↑ "En homenaje al poeta Luis Carlos González se institucionaliza el Día de la pereiranidad" [In honour of the poet Luis Carlos González, the day of Pereiranity is officially established], El Tiempo (in Spanish), 26 September 2008, retrieved 21 July 2026