Manuel del Águila

Manuel del Águila (1914–2006) was a Spanish poet, versatile composer and painter born in the El Alquián neighborhood, in Almería (Andalusia), on June 13, 1914 and died on November 8, 2006 in Aguadulce (Roquetas de Mar, province of Almería, Andalusia).

The fifth of six children, Manuel del Águila lost his father and mother at only six years old in 1920. Close friends of the family, Francisco Bracho Cambronero and Dolores Bonilla Vega, took charge of his upbringing with Manuela, the nursemaid with whom Manuel del Aguila would remain close throughout his life.

That year he entered the College of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, playing close attention to his studies from young. From that age he received his first piano and first French lessons. His interest in language, music, literature, drawing and art in general was therefore developed quite early. He competed in various literary and musical events locally and nationally. He won, for example, the Juegos Florales poetry contest held in Almeria in 1955.

He was a fellow student and friend of Arturo Medina and Jesus de Perceval, with whom he attended classes in drawing and painting at the School of Arts and Crafts in the Almeria capital, where he was awarded a Silver Medal for his work.

In this institution he taught French during the years 1950 and 1951, and later created a private school in which he taught French classes and later English. It was one of the first schools of its kind in Almeria and thousands of students would pass through it.

From 1961 he was involved in several informational and literary programs of Radio Nacional of Spain, working as a correspondent until the 80s. For them he interviewed nearly all the filmmakers and actors who passed through the province of Almeria in the film boom years and covered events such as the Palomares hydrogen bombs incident.

He also worked with national and local media for several years, including ABC, La Vanguardia, Sur de España, Yugo, Ideal, La Voz de Almería and El Mundo, and published many articles on many subjects. These collaborations were extended to magazines specializing in literature such as Green Gold, Nouvelles Litteraires, Reader's Digest and Poética Bahía.

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