Día das Letras Galegas

The first holiday took place in 1963 to commemorate the centenary of Cantares gallegos, the first work written in the Galician language by Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), who later became one of the most important poets in the history of Galicia. Cantares gallegos was first published on May 17, 1863.

Since 1963, each Day of Galician Literature has been dedicated to a different writer in the Galician language. This writer must be dead, and is chosen by the Real Academia Galega (Royal Galician Academy). There is only one precedent of a "shared" Day: in 1998, the festival was dedicated to Martín Codax, Xohán de Cangas and Mendinho, authors of cantigas de amigo during the Middle Ages.

Previously assigned authors on Galician Literature Day

• 1963 Rosalía de Castro
• 1964 Afonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao
• 1965 Eduardo Pondal
• 1966 Francisco Añón Paz
• 1967 Manuel Curros Enríquez
• 1968 Florentino López Cuevillas
• 1969 Antonio Noriega Varela
• 1970 Marcial Valladares Núñez
• 1971 Gonzalo López Abrente
• 1972 Valentín Lamas Carvajal
• 1973 Manuel Lago González
• 1974 Xoán V. Viqueira Cortón
• 1975 Xoán Manuel Pintos Villar
• 1976 Ramón Cabanillas
• 1977 Antón Vilar Ponte
• 1978 Antonio López Ferreiro
• 1979 Manuel Antonio
• 1980 King Alfonso X O Sabio (The Learned) of Castile
• 1981 Vicente Risco
• 1982 Luis Amado Carballo
• 1983 Manuel Leiras Pulpeiro
• 1984 Armando Cotarelo Valledor
• 1985 Antón Losada Diéguez
• 1986 Aquilino Iglesia Alvariño
• 1987 Francisca H. Garrido
• 1988 Ramón Otero Pedrayo
• 1989 Celso Emilio Ferreiro
• 1990 Luis Pimentel
• 1991 Álvaro Cunqueiro
• 1992 Fermín Bouza-Brey
• 1993 Eduardo Blanco Amor
• 1994 Luís Seoane
• 1995 Rafael Dieste
• 1996 Xesús Ferro Couselo
• 1997 Ánxel Fole
• 1998 Martín Codax, Xohán de Cangas and Mendinho
• 1999 Roberto Blanco Torres
• 2000 Manuel Murguía
• 2001 Eladio Rodríguez
• 2002 Frei Martín Sarmiento
• 2003 Antón Avilés de Taramancos
• 2004 Xaquín Lorenzo Fernández
• 2005 Lourenzo Varela
• 2006 Manuel Lugrís Freire
• 2007 María Mariño
• 2008 Xosé María Álvarez Blázquez