Editing Miguel Delibes (section)

== Biography ==

=== Early life and training ===
[[File:Miguel Delibes de niño.jpg|thumb|200px | Miguel Delibes at age six in a school photograph of the Colegio de las Carmelitas of Valladolid.]] 
Miguel Delibes was born in [[Valladolid]] on 17 October 1920, the third of eight children from the marriage between María Setién and Adolfo Delibes. His father was born and died in the [[Cantabria]]n town [[Molledo]], where Miguel spent many summers. The writer was named an adopted son of Valladolid in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/20090712/region/molledo/molledo-saldo-deuda-miguel-20090712.html|title=Molledo saldó su deuda con Miguel Delibes con su familia como testigo|date=12 July 2009}}</ref> The name ''Delibes'' was of French origin and came from [[Toulouse]]. Miguel's grandfather was the brother of the French composer [[Léo Delibes]], and had moved to Spain to participate in the construction of the railway in [[Cantabria]].<ref>{{cite web|url =http://canales.nortecastilla.es/delibes/semblanza/sembio.html |title =Semblanza biográfica |author =El Norte de Castilla |author-link =El Norte de Castilla |access-date =12 March 2010}}</ref> His father was a law professor at the Valladolid Business School.<ref name="EscuelaInternacional">{{cite web |url=http://www.escuelai.com/spanish_culture/literatura/migueldelibes-biografia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308094532/http://www.escuelai.com/spanish_culture/literatura/migueldelibes-biografia.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 March 2005 |title=Miguel Delibes |author=Escuela Internacional del Español |access-date=19 October 2009 }}</ref> Miguel attended the College of Our Lady of Lourdes in Valladolid. After the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]], he enlisted in the [[Spanish Navy|Navy]] on the Nationalist side in 1938. He served on the [[Spanish cruiser Canarias|cruiser Canarias]], which operated in the [[Mallorca]]n region.<ref name="EscuelaInternacional" /><ref name="p. 29">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ‘‘Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991’’, p. 29</ref> At the end of the war in 1939, he returned to his home town, where he studied commerce and law. He then enrolled at the ''Escuela de Artes y Oficios'' (School of Arts and Crafts) of Valladolid, where he honed his artistic skills. In 1941 he secured a job as a [[cartoonist]] with the leading newspaper of Valladolid, ''[[El Norte de Castilla]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.nortecastilla.es/150aniversario2/index.htm |title =150 años de El Norte de Castilla |author =El Norte de Castilla |author-link =El Norte de Castilla |date =17 October 2006}}</ref>

On April 23, 1946, he married Ángeles de Castro, who later became one of his greatest literary inspirations.<ref name = "p. 30">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 30.</ref> They spent their honeymoon in [[Molledo]], [[Cantabria]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.nortecastilla.es/delibes/crono01/cro01.htm |title =Miguel Delibes: cronología 1920-46 |author=El Norte de Castilla |author-link=El Norte de Castilla |access-date =19 October 2009}}</ref>

=== Early literary career ===
After his marriage, Delibes' literary career really started to take off, beginning a three-year period that defined his career. In 1947 he began writing his first novel, ''La sombra del ciprés es alargada (''The cypress casts a long shadow), which won the ''[[Premio Nadal]]'' the following year, marking his emergence on the Spanish literary scene. His novel ''Aún es de día'' (It is still daytime) was published, heavily censored, in 1948.

His family grew during this same period. His son Miguel, who would later become a famous biologist, was born in 1947. His daughter Ángeles, who would also become a renowned biologist and researcher, was born the following year, and in 1949 his third child, Germán, was born.

In 1950, a new stage in the writer's literary career commenced. After suffering a bout of [[tuberculosis]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.elnortedecastilla.es/delibes/crono02/cro02.htm |title=Miguel Delibes: cronología 1947-54 |newspaper=[[El Norte de Castilla]] |date=20 October 2009 |access-date=13 September 2018 |language=es |publisher=[[Vocento]] |first=Ramón |last=García Domínguez}}</ref> he published ''El camino'' (The road), his third novel. The novel tells the discovery of life and the experiences of a boy who moves from the countryside to the city. The work constituted his final consecration in the Spanish post-war narrative. That year saw the birth of his daughter Elisa, who later became a graduate of Hispanic and French Studies.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=[[Ministerio de Cultura (Spain)|Ministerio de Cultura]], Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas |title=Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991 |page=31 |author=Centro de las Letras Españolas |year=1994 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9pdAAAAMAAJ |isbn=9788481810073}}</ref>

In 1952, he was appointed deputy director of the newspaper ''El Norte de Castilla'', and his battles with censorship became increasingly direct and frequent. The writer entered a new phase in his life in which he would publish a new work virtually every year, namely: ''Mi idolatrado hijo Sisí'' (My adored son Sissi) 1953, ''La partida'' (The departure) 1954, ''Diario de un cazador ''(Diary of a hunter) 1955 –[[National Literature Prize for Narrative|''Premio Nacional de Narrativa'']]–, ''Un novelista descubre América'' (A novelist discovers America) 1956, ''Siestas con viento sur'' (Siestas with southern wind) 1957 –[[Fastenrath Award]]–, ''Diario de un emigrante'' (Diary of an emigrant) 1958, and ''La hoja roja'' (The red leaf), 1959. This last novel was existentialist in content and deals with a photographer who recalls his life on the brink of his retirement. In 1956, his son Juan Delibes was born. He would become a biologist like his siblings and fan of hunting and fishing like his father.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vadeando.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=144 |title=Juan Delibes: Pasión por la naturaleza |work=Vadeando |access-date=19 October 2009 |date=13 June 2008 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717182924/http://www.vadeando.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=144 |archive-date=17 July 2011}}</ref> In 1958, the writer was appointed director of ''El Norte de Castilla''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.nortecastilla.es/delibes/crono03/cro03.htm |title=Miguel Delibes: cronología 1955-59 |newspaper=[[El Norte de Castilla]] |date=20 October 2009 |access-date=13 September 2018 |language=es |publisher=[[Vocento]] |first=Ramón |last=García Domínguez}}</ref>

=== Literary apogee ===
[[File:Miguel Delibes (década de 1960) - 4.tif|thumb|Miguel Delibes in the 1960s in his "refuge" of [[Valle de Sedano|Sedano]] ([[Province of Burgos|Burgos]]).]]
The 1960s represented the heyday of Delibes' literary career. The period was marked by the birth of his sixth son, Adolfo (later a graduate in biology) and a visit to Germany, where he visited several universities. The literary period opened with the publication of ''Viejas historias de Castilla la Vieja'' (Old Tales of Old Castile) in 1960, and'' Por esos mundos'' (In these worlds) in 1961.<ref name = "p. 33" >Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 33.</ref> In 1962, Delibes published ''Las ratas'' (The Rats), one of his masterpieces. It constructs a story from a series of autobiographical anecdotes which evoke the rural environment of a Castilian village that has disappeared. The book won the ''Premio de la Crítica'' (Critics Award for Castilian fiction).<ref name="p. 33" /> In the same year Camino, the last of his seven children, would be born. Camino later graduated in Philosophy and Letters. Also in that year, the film version of ''El camino'', directed by [[Ana Mariscal]], was shot. 1963 was a turbulent year: Delibes resigned on June 8 as director of ''El Norte de Castilla'' after several disagreements with [[Manuel Fraga]], Minister of Information and Tourism.<ref name="p. 33" /> In 1964, he spent six months in the United States as a visiting professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature of the [[University of Maryland]]. After his return, he wrote and published ''[[Five Hours with Mario|Cinco horas con Mario]]'' (Five Hours with Mario), which is considered his masterpiece. The novel is the monologue of a woman who holds a wake for her late husband while she recounts the memories of him. Other books published upon his return from the US included ''USA y yo'' (The United States and I) and ''La milana''. In the following years he visited [[Czechoslovakia]] and published ''Parábola del náufrago'' (literally: The Parable of the Castaway, translated into English as ''The Hedge'' by [[Frances M. Lopez-Morillas]]).<ref name="p. 37">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 37.</ref><ref>''The hedge'', Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas, New York, Columbia University Press, 1983</ref> Later in the 1970s, he followed up with several books about hunting, an activity about which he was passionate, and stories. Subsequently, he published ''Un año de mi vida'' (A Year of my Life), a personal diary.

On 1 February 1973, Miguel Delibes was elected to the [[Royal Spanish Academy]], occupying chair "e", which was left vacant after the death of Julio Guillén.<ref name="rae"/><ref name = "p. 39">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 39.</ref> That same year, in December, he was also elected to the [[Hispanic Society of America]]. Before the end of the year, he published'' El príncipe destronado'' (The dethroned prince), his eleventh novel.<ref name="p. 40">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 40.</ref> On 22 November 1974 his wife, Angela de Castro, died at the age of 50. Her death profoundly marked the writer for the rest of his life.

Finally, on 25 May 1975, he delivered his inaugural address to the Royal Spanish Academy. [[Damaso Alonso]], one of the leading members of the [[Generation of '27]] and then president of the Royal Spanish Academy handed the academic medal to Miguel Delibes<ref name="rae" /><ref name="p. 40" /> His induction speech, which dealt with ''The meaning of progress from my work,'' which he later edited into a book entitled ''Un mundo que agoniza'' (A world that is agonizing). That same year, his twelfth novel ''Las guerras de nuestros antepasados'' (The Wars of our Ancestors<ref>''The wars of our Ancestors'', Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Agnes Moncy, University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA, 1992</ref>) saw the light. In the next three years, he published several books on hunting and his only book about fishing,'' Mis amigas las truchas'' (My Friends the Trout). This time period closed with the publication of ''El disputado voto del señor Cayo'' (The Disputed Vote of Mr. Cayo), his thirteenth novel.<ref name="p. 42">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 42.</ref> In 1979, the stage adaptation of ''Five Hours with Mario'' premiered in Spain starring the leading actress of Valladolid, Lola Herrera. Due to its success, the play was revived several times. That year, he released ''Castilla, lo castellano, los castellanos'' (Castile, Castilian Culture, the Castilians), a narrative anthology.<ref name="p. 42" />

=== 1980 and 1990: awards ===
[[File:Miguel Delibes (julio de 1991).tif|thumb|200px|left|Delibes in [[El Escorial]] (July 1991).]]
In 1980, the International Booksellers Seventh Congress that was held in Valladolid paid tribute to the writer. The big title of this period was'' Los santos inocentes'' (The Holy Innocents), published in 1981. The book is a form of social radiography that recounts the degradation of a rural family through the actions of the ''caciques'' of rural [[Extremadura]]. In 1982, he received the [[Prince of Asturias Awards|Prince of Asturias Award]] for Literature, sharing it with [[Gonzalo Torrente Ballester]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/premios/letras/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120702210613/http://fundacionprincipedeasturias.org/premios/letras/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 July 2012 |title=Galardonados con los Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras |author=Fundación Príncipe de Asturias |author-link=Premio Príncipe de Asturias |date=21 October 2009 }}</ref> and participated in the Congress "A literature for man", held in [[Reggio Emilia]], Italy. During this decade he published books on hunting, stories, and collections of newspaper articles. In 1983, he was inducted as [[Doctor honoris causa]] by the [[University of Valladolid]]. The following year, he was awarded the Castile and León Prize for Literature by the Regional Government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canales.nortecastilla.es/canales_provinciales/php2/web/portal/castilla/sitios/premios_cyl/documentacion/1985/1985-3.pdf |title=El Ministro de Cultura presidió ayer el acto de entrega del premio Castilla y León |author=El Norte de Castilla |author-link=El Norte de Castilla |date=8 June 1985 |access-date=21 October 2009 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In the same year, Miguel Delibes was named "author of the year" by the Spanish booksellers who bestowed the Golden Book award on him in recognition.<ref name="p. 45">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 45.</ref> At the end of the year, ''The Holy Innocents'' was adapted into a film. The actors [[Alfredo Landa]] and [[Francisco Rabal]] received the actor's award at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] for their roles in the movie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/Premio/interpretacion/Alfredo/Landa/Francisco/Rabal/Palma/Oro/Wenders/festival/Cannes/elpepicul/19840524elpepicul_12/Tes/ |title =Premio de interpretación para Alfredo Landa y Francisco Rabal y Palma de Oro para Wenders en el festival de Cannes |newspaper =[[El País]] |date =24 May 1984 }}</ref> In 1985, he published ''El tesoro'' (The Treasure) and received the [[Order of Arts and Letters|Knight of Arts and Letters]] of the [[France|French Republic]]. In the following years he was named a favorite son of Valladolid, he published ''Castilla habla'' (Castile Speaks), got an honorary doctorate of the [[Complutense University of Madrid]] and attended the theatrical adaptation of works like ''The Red Leaf'' and ''The Wars of our Ancestors''.<ref name="p. 46">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 46.</ref> His 1987 book ''Madera de héroe'' (The Stuff of Heroes<ref>''The Stuff of heroes'', Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990</ref>) deals with the notion of heroism during the Spanish Civil War. It won the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona.

On 7 May 1990, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by [[Saarland University]], Germany. A year later, on 30 May 1991, the [[Ministry of Culture (Spain)|Ministry of Culture]] awarded him the [[National Prize for Spanish Literature]].<ref name="p. 49">Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ''Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991'', p. 49.</ref> The [[University of Málaga]] paid homage to him at the V Contemporary Spanish Literature Congress, under the title ''Miguel Delibes: the writer, his work and readers.'' That year, he published'' Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris'' (Lady in red on a grey background), a clear evocation of his wife.<ref name="p. 46" /> In the following year the ''Meeting with Miguel Delibes'' was held in [[Madrid]]. It was organized on the occasion of the National Prize for Spanish Literature and included a total of seven conferences and four round tables that dealt with the works of Miguel Delibes.<ref name="p. 46" />

=== Literary halt and final years ===
[[File:Placa a Miguel Delibes en la Calle Santiago de Valladolid.jpg|thumb|200px| Plaque of Miguel Delibes installed by the city of Valladolid as a tribute to his novel ''[[The Heretic: A Novel of the Inquisition|The Heretic]]''.]] 
His last major work, ''[[The Heretic: A Novel of the Inquisition|El hereje]]'' (The Heretic),<ref>''The heretic'', Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Alfred MacAdam, The Overlook Press, 2006</ref> a tribute to Valladolid, was published in 1998 and was awarded the [[National Literature Prize for Narrative]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cultura/DELIBES/_MIGUEL_/ESCRITOR/PREMIO_NACIONAL_DE_NARRATIVA/Miguel/Delibes/obtiene/Premio/Nacional/Narrativa/libro/hereje/elpepicul/19991020elpepicul_2/Tes | title = Miguel Delibes obtiene el Premio Nacional de Narrativa con su libro 'El hereje' |trans-title=Delibes Miguel wins National Prize for Fiction with his book 'The heretic' | newspaper = [[El País]] | date = October 20, 1999 | access-date = October 22, 2009}}</ref> When receiving the award, the author stated that at 79 years of age he "had hung up his writing tackle." At the beginning of the millennium, the Miguel Delibes Chair was founded. The chair has its seat at the universities of [[City University of New York|New York]] and [[University of Valladolid|Valladolid]], and has as its objectives to promote the study of contemporary Spanish literature, make this literature known in the United States and disseminate it through new technologies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catedramdelibes.es/catedra.html |title=La Cátedra Miguel Delibes |author=Cátedra Miguel Delibes |date=22 October 2009 |access-date=22 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720134153/http://www.catedramdelibes.es/catedra.html |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Following the publication of ''The Heretic'' his writing career came virtually to a halt, mainly because of the colon cancer that affected the writer during the final phase of writing his last great novel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lavozdigital.es/cadiz/20071028/cultura/elogio-sencillez-20071028.html |title =Elogio de la sencillez |author=La Voz de Cádiz |author-link=La Voz de Cádiz | date =22 October 2009}}</ref> He was largely disabled and fell victim to an ever-greater apathy. His last book, ''La tierra herida'' (The wounded earth) published in 2005, takes the form of a dialogue between him and his eldest son, Miguel Delibes, former head of [[Doñana National Park]]. The book is a moving account of climate change.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/14/miguel-delibes-obituary/ |title =Miguel Delibes obituary |first=Michael |last=Eaude |date =14 March 2010 |location=London |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2007 he received the Quijote Prize for Spanish Literature,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acescritores.com/premios-quijote.php?id=54 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210141227/http://www.acescritores.com/premios-quijote.php?id=54 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 December 2008 |title=Miguel Delibes, Premio Quijote de las Letras Españolas |date=15 December 2007 |author=Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España |access-date=22 October 2009 }}</ref> although in later years his literary production was practically nil, with just a few titles, such as ''De Valladolid ''(From Valladolid). Since he was disabled, [[Juan Carlos I]] and [[Sofia of Greece]], the king and queen of Spain, personally visited the writer at his home in Valladolid after he was awarded the Vocento Prize for Human Values.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://especiales.lasprovincias.es/anuario/protagonistas/2006/delibes-premio |author=Las Provincias |author-link=Las Provincias |title=Miguel Delibes |date=17 October 2006 |access-date=22 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019110809/http://especiales.lasprovincias.es/anuario/protagonistas/2006/delibes-premio |archive-date=19 October 2009 }}</ref> He was recognized by his city with the creation of the Route of the Heretic based on his novel and the construction of the ''Centro Cultural Miguel Delibes'', which is both a [[music school|conservatory]] and [[auditorium]] as well as a [[convention center]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nortecastilla.es/prensa/20070411/portada/auditorio-miguel-delibes-listo_20070411.html |title =El Auditorio Miguel Delibes, listo para la inauguración de hoy |author=El Norte de Castilla |author-link=El Norte de Castilla |date = March 2007 | access-date = 22 October 2009}}</ref>

The president of the autonomous community of [[Castile and León]] gave him in November 2009 the Gold Medal of Castile and León in recognition of "his defense of [[Spanish language|Castilian]]" and described the author as a "master storyteller".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europapress.es/cultura/cine-00128/noticia-miguel-delibes-recibe-medalla-oro-castilla-leon-20091116192226.html |title =Miguel Delibes recibe la Medalla de Oro de Castilla y León |publisher=[[Europa Press (news agency)|Europa Press]] |date =16 November 2009 |access-date =13 March 2010}}</ref>
 
Similarly, the [[Junta of Castile and León]], as well as numerous Spanish and international cultural and intellectual institutions proposed him repeatedly as a candidate for the [[Nobel Prize]], the last time by the Society of Authors and Publishers in 2010 along with [[Ernesto Cardenal]] and [[Ernesto Sabato]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nortecastilla.es/20100105/mas-actualidad/cultura/sgae-propone-nuevo-miguel-201001051352.html |title =La SGAE propone de nuevo a Miguel Delibes para el Nobel  |author=nortecastilla.es |date =5 January 2010}}</ref>

=== Politics ===

Although Delibes fought with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, he was appalled by the level of repression, turned against [[Francisco Franco|Franco]], and worked to restore democracy to Spain.{{sfn|Reichardt|2010|p=86}} In 1963, he was forced to resign from his position as director of the newspaper ''El Norte de Castilla'' for refusing to follow official instructions limiting the freedom of the press.{{sfn|Reichardt|2010|p=87}} In Delibes's view, the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] had enriched the Catholic faith.{{sfn|Reichardt|2010|p=92}} He held the opinion that the Spanish Civil War could've been avoided if the Church had a reformist pope like [[John XXIII]] who reconciled with modernity at the time.{{sfn|Reichardt|2010|p=91}} He has been described as a [[liberalism|liberal]] Catholic, who sought to find a middle ground in between liberation theology and the authoritarian Catholicism of Franco.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fotheringham |first1=Alasdair |title=Miguel Delibes: Spanish writer who found a way past Franco's censors with his stark novels of rural and provincial life |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/miguel-delibes-spanish-writer-who-found-a-way-past-francos-censors-with-his-stark-novels-of-rural-1933731.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/miguel-delibes-spanish-writer-who-found-a-way-past-francos-censors-with-his-stark-novels-of-rural-1933731.html |archive-date=2022-05-14 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=15 August 2018 |work=Independent |date=2 April 2010}}</ref>{{sfn|Reichardt|2010|p=86}}

=== Death ===
[[File:Capilla ardiente de Miguel Delibes.jpg|thumb|200px| Miguel Delibes's casket at the funeral chapel installed in the reception hall of the Town Hall of Valladolid.]] 
[[File:Homenaje a Miguel Delibes en el Real Valladolid-Real Madrid.jpg|thumb|200px| The events in memory of the writer in Valladolid during the weekend following his death. In the picture, [[Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez|Mejuto González]], referee of the [[La Liga|Spanish first league]] match between Real Valladolid and Real Madrid, accompanies the grandson of the writer at the release of a white dove as a tribute to Miguel Delibes.]] 
During the early days of March 2010 his health worsened, and on 11 March, the writer was in critical condition, conscious but heavily sedated, and his family expected his death within hours.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.publico.es/culturas/301072/miguel/delibes/critico |title=Miguel Delibes, en estado de máxima gravedad |newspaper=[[Público (España)|Público]] |date=11 March 2010 |access-date=13 March 2010 |language=es |publisher=Display Connectors, [[Sociedad Limitada|SL.]]}}</ref> Miguel Delibes finally died at his home in Valladolid early in the morning of March 12, 2010, at the age of 89 years as a result of the colon cancer that was first diagnosed in 1998.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2010/03/12/actualidad/1268348402_850215.html |title=Muere Miguel Delibes, alma del castellano  |newspaper=[[El País]] |date=12 March 2010 |access-date=12 March 2010 |language=es |publisher=[[PRISA]] |first=Antonio |last=Fraguas |author-link=Antonio Fraguas}}</ref> His funeral chapel was installed that morning in the reception room of the Town Hall of Valladolid. It was visited by such personalities as Lola Herrera, [[Concha Velasco]], the Deputy Prime Minister [[Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega]], the President of [[Castile and León]] [[Juan Vicente Herrera Campo|Juan Vicente Herrera]] and the Minister of Culture [[Ángeles González-Sinde]], among others, as well as over 18,000 people.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20100312/mas-18000-personas-dan-su-ultimo-adios-a-miguel-delibes-capilla-ardiente/323447.shtml |title=Más de 20.000 personas dan su último adiós a Miguel Delibes en la capilla ardiente |work=[[RTVE]] |date=13 March 2010 |access-date=13 March 2010 |language=es}}</ref>

His funeral was held in the morning of March 13 in the Cathedral of Valladolid. His remains were cremated and buried in the Pantheon of Illustrious Men of Valladolid among personalities such as [[José Zorrilla]] and [[Rosa Chacel]]. Valladolid City Council granted the privilege of moving the cremated remains of Ángeles, his wife, to that cemetery to bury with Delibes, thus honouring his long-expressed wish.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.elnortedecastilla.es/rc/20100313/mas-actualidad/cultura/miles-ciudadanos-acompanan-cortejo-201003130734.html |title=Miguel Delibes reposa junto a su esposa tras recibir un sentido y multitudinario adiós en las calles de Valladolid |newspaper=[[El Norte de Castilla]] |date=13 March 2010 |access-date=14 March 2010 |language=es |publisher=[[Vocento]] }}</ref>