Alfredo Conde Cid

Category: Writer
Birth Date: 5th January 1945
Birth Place: Allariz (Ourense)
 Curriculum

He studied at the Civil Naval Academy in A Coruña and Philosophy and Arts at the University of Santiago de Compostela and then worked in Spanish navigation companies and private schools in Pontevedra. He took a doctor’s degree in Arts at La Trobe University in Melbourne (Australia). He was a deputy of the Galician Parliament and participated in the elaboration of the law for the creation of Galician Radio and TV, the ‘Consello da Cultura Galega’ and the Linguistic Normalization of Galicia. From 1987 to 1990, he was the ‘conselleiro’ responsible for Culture in the Galician Government. Many laws and decrees were promulgated in this period as well as several institutions were founded (the Galician Centre of Image Art, the Galician Auditorium, the Opera Theatre in A Coruña, the Galician Centre of Contemporary Art and the Galician Bibliographic Centre). Nowadays, he is on the board of directors of Galician Radio and TV Corporation and is writing his new novel and the script for his next film.

 Work & Activities

These are some of his most important works: Mencer de Lúas, Galaxia, Vigo (1968), Mementos de vivos, Galaxia, Vigo (1974), O Contubernio, Castrelos, Vigo (1978), O Barco é do amo, Akal, Madrid (1978), Breixo, Xerais, Vigo (1981), Memoria de Noa. Xerais, Vigo (1983), Xa vai o Grifón no vento / El Grifón, Galaxia, Vigo (1984), Alfaguara, Madrid, (1986), Una conversación en la Habana, Aguilar-El País, Madrid (1989). This is the result of a long interview with Fidel Castro recorded by Galician TV and broadcasted in episodes in several national and international televisions, Música Sacra, tales, Galaxia, Vigo (1989), El tercer lugar, El Sol, Madrid (1990), Los Otros Días, Destino, Barcelona (1991), Cubita, la bella, El Correo Gallego (1992), El Camino de Santiago, Audiovisual (1993), Gran Cantata Xacobea; O longo poema do fin do mundo, an illustrated text with engravings by Quintana Martelo, Xunta de Galicia (1993), Descubrir España. Galicia. The National Geographic Society, RBA Publications, Barcelona (2000), Sempre me matan / Siempre me matan, Ir Indo / Grijalbo-Mondadori (1995) first book of the Trilogy of America, A Gaiola, Litonor, Santiago (1995), A casa de Adara, Xerais, Vigo (1996), Os días de viaxe (a compilation of articles published in El Correo Gallego), O fácil que é matar / Peregrino en invierno, Xerais, Vigo (1998), (second book of the Trilogy of America), Azul Cobalto. Historia posible del Marqués de Sargadelos, Edhasa, Barcelona (2001), Barriga Verde e o Demo Negro, Pedra Aguda, Santiago (2001), Historia de soldado, Sotelo Blanco, Santiago (2002), Romasanta. Memoria incierta del Hombre Lobo, first edition in Russian, Azbooka Publishers, SPB, February 2004, Sotelo Blanco SCQ (2004), De Monte Louro a Ribadeo, Portos de Galicia (2004) and Os días de Apulia. His work has appeared in the following publications: Os novísimos da Poesía Galega, Akal Editor, Madrid (1973), Antoloxía da Poesía Galega, Galaxia, Vigo (1980), Bitzac. Literatura, Majorca (1986), Antoloxía do Conto Galego, Galaxia, Vigo (1989), Homenaxe a Ramón Piñeiro, Fundación Caixa Galicia (1991), La fuente que mana y corre, Alfaguara, Madrid (1993), Contos de viaxe, Galaxia, Vigo (1994), Boletín Galego de Literatura, Santiago de Compostela University (1996), Unha liña no ceo, Xerais, Vigo (1996), Quince relatos titulados 31.XII.99 11.30 p.m. Ourense (1999), Contos da Xustiza, Ir Indo, Vigo (1999), Cuentos de ciclismo, Edaf, Madrid (2000), Nuevos episodios nacionales, Edaf, Madrid (2000), Palabras en la Noche (La memoria desvelada), Linteo, Ourense (2001), La cocina literaria, El Ciervo, Barcelona (2003), Narradio. 56 historia son ar, Xerais, Vigo (2003), Un mar de literatura, Cadernos Grial, Vigo (2003) and Vintage, Hardie Grant Books, South Yarra, Victoria. Australia (2004). He has translated into Galician Chamber Music by James Joyce, La isla de los jacintos cortados by Torrente Ballester and El Pallaso y el Pan and El País de los Cerezos (theatre) by Roberto Espina. Some of his works have been translated into Russian, German, Italian, French and English. As far as his journalistic activity is concerned, he has written over five thousand literary and opinion articles in national and international newspapers and magazines: El País, ABC, Diario 16, La Vanguardia, El Sol, Le Monde, La Estrella, etc. Nowadays, he usually collaborates in ‘El Periódico de Cataluña’. Since 1990, he has been publishing a daily articles in Galician newspapers, first in La Voz de Galicia for five years and then in El Correo Gallego, in which he also edits the weekly cultural supplement ‘Correo das Culturas’. He has also given over a hundred lectures in universities all around the world.

 Other Interesting Aspects

He has been awarded the following prizes: ‘Chitón’ Novel Prize, ‘Ícaro’ Prize (Diario 16), Spanish Literary Criticism Prize (1981), Galician Literary Criticism Prize (1981), ‘Blanco Amor’ Prize (1984), Spanish Literary Criticism Prize (1986), Literature National Prize (1986), ‘Grinzane Cavour’ Prize for the best foreign novel published in Italy (1990), Nadal Prize (1991), ‘Grinzane’ Special Junior Prize for the best foreign book for children, Turin (2003), ‘Rías Baixas’ Poetry National Prize (1966), University Poetry National Prize (1967) and Minho-Galaico Fiction Prize, Guimaraes, Portugal (second prize in 1972 and first prize in 1973). He was awarded the 27th edition of ‘Fernández Latorre’ Journalism Prize and the fifth edition of ‘Julio Camba’ Journalism National Prize. He was the foundation member of the group ‘Voces Ceibes’, which joined the singer-songwriters of ‘A Nova Canción Galega’ since 1968. He was also a foundation member and first vicepresident of the Association of Writers in Galician Language and first president of the Galician P.E.N. Club. He holds the following honours: Knight of the French Order of Arts, ‘Gran Cordón’ of the Merit Order granted by the Government of Caracas (Venezuela), honourable member of the Galician Journalists Club in Madrid, member of ‘Rosalía de Castro’ Patronage, member of the ‘Enxebre Orde da Vieira’, Knight of the Alquitara Order, ‘Folla de Prata do Viño Albariño’, member of the Gastronomy Academy, vicepresident of the iconographic collection of Allariz, member of the Association of Galician ‘Orujo’ and the Association of ‘Condado do Tea’ Wine.