Manuel Murguía

Manuel Murguia was a Galician journalist and historian who created the Real Academia Galega. He was one of the main figures in Galician Rexurdimento movement. He is also remembered as Rosalía de Castro's husband, publisher and main supporter.

Manuel Murguía was born on 17 Mayin 1833 in Arteixo, a place in A Coruña, Galicia (Spain). His father was a chemist.

Being at A Coruña, a child Manuel Murguía witnessed the liberal insurrection of locals against the central power on 23 April 1846. This happening ended with the execution of the Mártires de Carral (The Martyrs of Carral). It all caused an important ideological impact on Murguía, who wrote about that later on in his article La Voz de Galicia (The Voice of Galicia).

Manuel Murguía studied philosophy, and pharmacy (as was his father's wish), at Santiago de Compostela. However, Murguía had a great interest on literature and history, so he finally gave up his studies to work as a writer and researcher. He used to go to Liceo de la Juventud, the cultural center on Santiago, meeting other students and intellectual people, including Eduardo Pondal, Aurelio Aguirre and Rosalía de Castro.

On 1 June 1854 Murguía published his first work in Galician language, Nena das Soidades (Girl of Loneliness). He then began working as a freelance writer in journals and magazines, getting a measure of success. With it, up-and-coming Murguía would publish other works like Mi madre Antonia (My mother, Antonia), Los Lirios Blancos (The White Irises) and El Ángel de la Muerte (Angel of Death). He would then become one of the literary promises of his time.

Murguía went to Madrid, where he became friends with authors like Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer; he also began a romantic relationship with Rosalía de Castro, whom he married in Madrid on 10 October 1858. From the very beginning, Murguía encouraged de Castro's literary interests and the publishing of her works. Particularly, de Castro's work Cantares Gallegos will be considered the beginning of the Rexurdimento (Galician literature renaissance).

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