Julio de la Vega

Julio de la Vega
Born	1924 Puerto Suarez, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Died	November 11, 2010(2010-11-11) (aged 86)
Nationality	Bolivian
Occupation(s)	Poet, writer, educator
Years active	1940s–2010
Known for	Founder of Gesta Bárbara, Poemario de exaltaciones, Matías, el apóstol suplente
Notable work	Matías, el apóstol suplente
Awards	Flor Natural Prize (1947), Premio Franz Tamayo (1966), Premio Erich Guttentag (1969), Pablo Neruda Medal (2004), National Culture Prize (2005)

Julio de la Vega (March 4, 1924 – November 11, 2010) was a Bolivian poet and writer. He was born in Puerto Suarez, Santa Cruz, in 1924.

He was a founding member of the Bolivian literary group Gesta Bárbara in its second version in the 1940s. In 1947, he won the Flor Natural Prize at the Juegos Florales Cervantinos in La Paz. In 1966, he published his poetry collection, Poemario de exaltaciones, which won the Premio Franz Tamayo. In 1969, he received "first mention" at the Premio Erich Guttentag for his soon-to-be-published novel Matías, el apóstol suplente. This novel is widely regarded as one of the finest in Bolivian literature.

He taught literature at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) from 1971 to 2000. He became a member of the Bolivian Academy of Language in 1976. In 2004, he received the Pablo Neruda Medal in Chile. In 2005, he obtained the National Culture Prize (Premio Nacional de Cultura) of Bolivia.

He died in 2010.