He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attending the universities of Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo.

Before the outbreak of the Spanish civil war, he traveled to Paris with the intention of writing his doctoral thesis and there he was surprised by the coup d'etat of July 18, 1936.

Despite his affiliation to the Falangists, from 1939, when he returned to Santiago to take up a university post, he increasingly distanced himself from the party.

[citation needed] He joined in protests in favour of striking Asturian miners in 1962, and was expelled from his teaching post at the university as a result.

Immediately after his death, the Fundación Gonzalo Torrente Ballester was set up to protect, study and disseminate his work.