Antón Riveiro Coello, Writer from Xinzo de Limia

Antón Riveiro Coello was born in Xinzo de Limia on 28 August 1964 and is a writer in Galician. He studied law in Santiago, played guitar in a rock band, worked as a salesman and as a civil servant of the State and later of the regional administration in Boiro; he took an active part in the Barbantia project ^[1].

Work

His fiction began with Valquiria (1994, IV Camilo José Cela Literary Prize in Padrón), followed by A historia de Chicho Antela (1997), A quinta de Saler (1999) and As rulas de Bakunin (2000), translated into Portuguese (2006), Spanish (Los hijos de Bakunin, 2008) and Italian (2009). His novels include Homónima (2001), A esfinxe de amaranto (2003), Casas baratas (2005), Os ollos de K (2007), Laura no deserto (2011, 732 pages, eighth edition in 2019), Os elefantes de Sokúrov (2015), A ferida do vento (2016, in English as Wounded by the Wind, 2025), O paraíso dos inocentes (2020), Hotel carioca (2023) and Os abandonos (2026), with which Galaxia launched the Biblioteca Riveiro Coello. He has also published short stories, such as Parque Central e outros relatos (1996), Animalia (1999) and As pantasmas de auga (2010) ^[1].

How he presents himself

On his author page for the regional website xinzodelimia.eu he sums up his life with humour: born in Xinzo in 1964, «of the same vintage as Miguel Induráin», he studied law in Santiago (which he abandoned in the fifth year), played guitar in a rock band, sold computers and was a civil servant of the State and of the Xunta before turning to writing ^[2].

Prizes

The same page highlights, among the competitions in which he has won awards, the Álvaro Cunqueiro, García Barros, Café Dublín, Manuel Murguía, Camilo José Cela, Breogán de Contos, Castelao de Narrativa, Casa Galicia en León, Meigas e Trasgos, Vila das Neves and Ourense de Contos prizes; he was a finalist for the Torrente Ballester, and his list of works includes the Pedrón de Ouro volumes of the national Galician short-story competition «Modesto R. Figueiredo» for 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1997 ^[2]. Among his collections of stories and other titles it lists Materia prima, Narradio. 56 historias no ar, Paisaxes con palabras, Palabra por palabra. Contos da Policía, Parque Central e outros relatos, Primeira cita and O arcebispo de Antioquía ^[2].

In December 2025 Xinzo council announced his name among the 2025 Culture Awards: he received the Award for the Defence and Promotion of the Language, for his career as a novelist and for the way A Limia features in his work ^[3].

On the Historia de Xinzo website

The website Historia de Xinzo published an article of his titled «O arcebispo de Antioquia» (9 March 2014), tagged with Carlos Casares and Xinzo de Limia ^[4].

In A Limia

He is one of the great names of Galician letters born in Xinzo, together with Carlos Casares and Antón Tovar.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Antón Riveiro Coello born? In Xinzo de Limia, in 1964 ^[1].

Which is his most translated novel? As rulas de Bakunin, into Portuguese, Spanish and Italian ^[1].

Links

• Parish: Xinzo de Limia
• Municipality: Xinzo de Limia
• People of A Limia
• Famous people and sportspeople of A Limia
• Authors and artists of A Limia
• Carlos Casares

Sources

1. «Antón Riveiro Coello», Galipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3n_Riveiro_Coello
2. Antón Riveiro Coello (xinzodelimia.eu, author page). http://www.xinzodelimia.eu:80/anton_riveiro.htm
3. O Concello de Xinzo desvela os gañadores dos Premios da Cultura 2025. https://www.xinzodelimia.gal/cultura/concello-xinzo-desvela-ganadores-dos-premios-da-cultura-2025-homenaxe-memoria-ao-entroido-vangarda-artistica/20251210093201007013.html
4. O arcebispo de Antioquia, article by Antón Riveiro Coello (Historia de Xinzo, 09-03-2014). https://historiadexinzo.wordpress.com/2014/03/09/o-arcebispo-de-antioquia/