The first translation of Japanese haiku into the Spanish language was thought to be in 1914 by the Mexican poet José Juan Tablada, who also was the first to publish a book of haiku, Un dia …, in 1919. The first original haiku by a Spaniard have been attributed to Antonio Machado a few years later. During the years of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco era (1936–1975) the development of haiku was suspended. Translations and studies of Japanese haiku began to reappear in the 1970s. Only after the year 2000 did haiku composition catch on in Spain, however, and the few Spanish journals and haiku organizations are all younger than 20 years.

Susana Benet (born November 9, 1950, in Valencia, Spain), poet, anthologist, watercolorist, illustrator, translator. Benet lectures and offers workshops on haiku. She has published 10 books of poetry, four of which are books of haiku and two are haiku anthologies. Recipient of the 1st Prize of the 2013 Ciudad de Medellín Contest for her haiku collection Ráfagas (Gusts). Coauthor of the Haikupedia article on haiku in Spain. Resides in Valencia.