Ayala,
FranciscoBazán, Emilia Pardo
Ayala,
Francisco
Bazán, Emilia Pardo
Umbral, Francisco
Unamuno, Miguel de
Valle-Inclán, Ramón del
Catalan Landscape: The Hunter by Joan Miró.
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Distinguished short-story writer,
novelist and essayist who was awarded Spain’s highest literary honor, the
Premio Cervantes, in 1991. Ayala
was born in Granada in 1906, and studied in Germany from 1929-30.
Experiencing the birth of Nazism first-hand, and the subsequent rise of
Fascism in Spain defined Ayala’s future literary output.
In addition to his literary career, Ayala was a life-long teacher of
sociology and political science. He
taught at the University of Madrid from 1933 until 1936, at which time he was
forced to flee Spain for Buenos Aires.It was during Ayala’s decade in Argentina that he produced his best
works, particularly The Lamb’s Head (La
cabeza del cordero) and Usurpers (Los
usurpadores) in 1949. Both
collections of short stories explore Ayala’s premise that “power exercised
by man over his fellow man is always a usurpation”. The Usurper utilized historical incidents to explore this
concept, while The Lamb’s Head relied on the Spanish Civil War.
Included in Usurpers is a dramatic prose poem entitled “Dialogue of the
Dead: A Spanish Elegy” (1939), which was written a year after the
assassination of both his father and a brother by Fascists in Spain.
Ironically, Ayala was confronted with tyranny yet
again and left Argentina when he could no longer tolerate the rule of Juan
Peron. He spent the next eight
years teaching at the University of Puerto Rico, before moving to the United
States, where he taught at numerous Universities ( including Chicago, Princeton,
New York) until his retirement in 1976. Ayala
finally returned to live in his homeland in 1976 (the year of Franco’s death),
and was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy and awarded Spain’s National
Prize for Literature in 1984.
Ayala wrote four novels, nine collections of short fiction, and numerous volumes of both literary and social criticism. These works include: A Monkeys Tale (1955), Dog’s Death (1958), The Bottom of the Glass (1962), The Ace of Clubs (1962), The Abduction (1965) and The Garden of Delights (1971).
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Pardo Bazán (1851-1921) is the most
important short-story writer of nineteenth century Spain.
She was born to a prosperous family in La Coruña, and her father
provided her with a well-rounded education not typically extended to Spanish
women of that time. This may
explain why many of her works have been labeled “feminist” and were not
initially welcomed at the time of their release.
Over the course of her life, Pardo Bazán
wrote over 20 novels, over 600 short stories, hundreds of essays, 2 cookbooks,
several plays and a short collection of poetry.
She published an influential monthly journal, Nuevo
teatro crítico, from 1891 to 1892, and was the first woman to become a
University professor in Spain, when she was awarded a professorship in 1915 at
the University of Madrid.
Although, Pardo Bazán had already
attained limited success with her early works (the semi-autobiographical novel, Pascual López, Autobiografía de un estudiante de medicina in 1879,
and Un viaje de novios, 1881), it was
her controversial treatise entitled La
cuestión palpitante (The Burning Question), in 1883, which brought her to the forefront of Spanish
consciousness. This work harshly
criticized the Naturalist movement led by the French novelist Emile Zola.
This style attempted to apply scientific methods to the observation of
social science, philosophy and religion, and proposed that each person’s lives
were predetermined by a combination of their heredity, time period and
surroundings.
The resulting controversy (it was considered scandalous for a woman to even read Zola, let alone criticize him) eventually resulted in a separation from her husband with whom she had been married since 1868 and had born three children with. Ironically, Pardo Bazán’s own writings merely represent a slight attenuation of Zola’s rigid beliefs, with Bazán’s caveat that human spirituality can overcome the obstacles it has inherited. The novel which best exemplifies this philosophy is her most popular novel, The House of Ulloa (Los pazos de Ulloa, 1886). It is because Pardo Bazán often applied this philosophy to women that she was labeled a feminist.
Miguel Delibes was born in Valladolid in 1920 and is one of the most decorated writers of contemporary short stories in Spain. He studied law and business, and was a professor at the Business School in Valladolid. During the Spanish Civil War he was a sailor aboard the cruiser Canarias. After his military discharge he returned to his native Valladolid. In his early years he free lanced for various newspapers and magazines and became director of El Norte de Castilla. Miguel married Angeles de Castro in 1946, she died in 1974. The couple had seven children.
In 1947 Delibes received the Premio Nadal for his first novel, “La Sombra del Cipres es Alargada”, a desolate and cold story that depicts the medieval city of Avila as being encumbered within its walls, instead of protected by them. He became well known with his novel “El Camino” (The Path, 1950) a book that describes the emotional development of a child as he learns about life. His book “Mi Idolatrado Hijo Sisi” was published in 1953, and focuses on the bourgeois life in the provincial city of Valladolid. Other works include “Siestas con Viento Sur” (1957), La Hoja Roja (1959), Las Ratas (1962), Cinco Horas con Mario (Five Hours with Mario, 1966), and Parabola de un Naufrago (1969) which focuses on a conflict between individuals and bureaucracy. Delibes is an avid hunter who has written numerous books about this topic. His latest works include Las Guerras de Nuestros Antepasados (The Wars of our Ancestors, 1975), El Disputado Voto del Señor Cayo (1978), Madera de Heroe (The Stuff of Heroes, 1987), and Señora de Rojo Sobre Fondo Gris (1991). In 1998 he wrote El Hereje, for which he won the National Award for narratives. His book Diario de un Jubilado (1995) is a tender portrayal about the life and relationship of two elderly persons.
Some of his works have been adapted for the theater such as Five Hours with Mario, La Hoja Roja, and The Wars of Our Ancestors. Several have been adapted to movies including The Path, Mi Idolatrado Hijo Sisi, El Principe Destronado, Los Santos Inocentes, El Disputado Voto del Señor Cayo, La Sombra del Cipres es Alargada, and Las Ratas. His works have been translated into twenty languages including English. Delibes won the Premio Cervantes in 1994, Premio Nadal in 1947, Premio de la Critica in 1953, Premio Principe de Asturias in 1982, Premio Nacional de las Letras in 1991, and the Premio Nacional de Literatura in 1955 and 1999. Miguel has been a member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Literature for 27 years; he is a Doctor Honoris Causa at the universities of Valladolid, Madrid, Alcala de Henares, and El Sarre (Germany).
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Francisco Umbral was born in Madrid in 1935. This writer, one of the most prolific and popular of the last decades maintains that each theme determines its genre. A Madrid fanatic he lives and breathes the history and lifestyle of the city. When he is tired of the vicissitudes of modern life he regresses mentally to his early dreams of the city that inspired him to become one of the greatest contemporary writers.
His novel Mortal y Rosa (1975) was translated into several languages and is considered one of the few masterpieces written during the second half of the XX century. In 1976 he received the Premio Nadal for “Las Ninfas”. In 1980 he received the Premio Cesar Gonzalez Ruano for journalism. His short story “Tatuaje” earned him the Premio Antonio Machado in 1990. From 1996 to 2000 he wrote “Capital del Dolor, Los Cuadernos de Luis Vives, La Derechona, Amar en Madrid, Los Males Sagrados, and La Forja de un Ladrón”, for which he won the Premio Fernando Lara. Other important books include Pio XII, La Escolta Mora, Trilogía de Madrid, Un General Sin Un Ojo, and Cela: Un Cadáver Exquisito.
In 2000 Umbral received the Cervantes prize, the highest literary honor in the Spanish speaking world. Members of the jury said “Umbral is a true creator of language that is absolutely original and difficult to imitate. He is also a person who has excelled in all genres and who instead of creating pastiches writes in a style that is innovative and constantly changing.” The Cervantes Prize includes a $75,000 cash award. Other important awards include the Principe de Asturias prize, which was awarded to him for being one of the foremost prosiest of Spanish literature in the XX century.
Umbral has published almost 100 short stories, essays, biographies, intimate diaries, and memorabilia. His biographies of Garcia Lorca, Gomez de la Serna, Valle Inclan and others place him at the vanguard of Spanish literary essay. In addition to being one of the most renowned Spanish novelists, Umbral also writes a daily column in the newspaper El Mundo.
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Although I have placed Unamuno (b. Bilbao,
1864-12/31/1936) under my Drama section, he could justifiably be placed under
any of the subjects I have covered. Unamuno was a novelist, playwright,
poet, and philosopher who dominated the Generation of
1898. This
astounding intellect was also rector of the University of Salamanca, chair of
History of the Spanish Language, a controversial essayist, and a voracious
reader of international literature. Unamuno's rebellious philosophy is
expressed throughout his works.
Basically, Unamuno considered himself "idea phobic", that is, he did not feel an individual should totally embrace any philosophy entirely or for too long. Rather, philosophies should be used and discarded at each person's convenience. Although he emphasized the importance of individual expression and thought, he deduced that it was our very individuality which bound man in a universal sense. What Unamuno opposed was any dogmatic government, religion or philosophy which suppressed the rights of individuals to form a community.
As a result, Unamuno rejected institutional religion and alternately embraced, then scorned, the various government's which assumed power during his intellectual life. This led to his being labeled a rebel, which did not have very positive ramifications in Spain at the time, and even resulted in banishment to the Canary Islands during the reign of Primo de Rivera. Ironically, it is the contradiction and internal conflict themselves which made Unamuno so very Spanish. Unamuno's rebellious nature should not be confused with scorn for his homeland. In fact, as the intellectual and spiritual leader of the Generation of 1898, Unamuno was instrumental in attempting to restore Spanish pride and influence, following the loss of Spain's final colonies in the Pacific and the America's.
The characters in Unamuno's short stories offer a stark portrayal of his dichotomous personality, with opposing philosophies being represented passionately by the main characters. What makes them so interesting is that Unamuno fails to express a bias for either philosophy, arguing a case both ways with equal intensity and eloquence.
Unamuno's translated short stories include: The Marquis of Lumbria, Two Mothers, Nothing Less Than a Man (all within the collection "Three Exemplary Novels") and The Madness of Doctor Montarco, San Manuel Bueno, Martyr and Abel Sánchez (all within the collection "Abel Sanchez and other stories"). His most famous philosophical work is The Tragic Sense of Life (1913). Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any English translations of his novels or plays, and have read only a handful of his poems, to date.
To TopValle-Inclán was born in Galicia in 1866. He traveled broadly throughout Latin America in his youth, particularly in Mexico, where he claimed to serve a year in the Army. By the time he moved to Madrid in 1895, he had already worked a variety of professions including theatrical manager, war correspondent, civil servant and teacher. Valle-Inclán is usually associated with the Generation of '98, but his early writings were more influenced by foreign writers and his later works clearly set the stage for the harsh modernism of writers like Cela.
Valle-Inclán's writings were often set in his native Galicia and tended to reflect the lives of the "peasant" class with an emphasis on their more degenerate qualities. Indeed, his play "Divine Words (1913) is a barbaric play detailing the indecent treatment of a deformed child by his fellow townspeople. By today's standards, this play would be called politically incorrect at best and abhorrent by even the most callous reader. Ramón also developed a series of works he entitled "esperpentos" which satirized Spanish society in grotesque caricatures reminiscent of Goya's disturbing imagery. This can be contrasted with his Sonatas (Spring and Summer Sonatas, Autumn and Winter Sonatas) which tell the story of a Galician Don Juan. While the lead character certainly does not reflect many admirable traits, the prose is beautiful and poetic.
Valle-Inclán was known as a bit of an eccentric who drew attention to himself with his antics and scandals resulting from his lifestyle, attire and writings. Ramón even had his right arm amputated resulting from injuries suffered in a duel. He married an actress, Josefina Blanco, with whom they had several children. He wrote plays, poetry and prose and his other works include Aguila de Blason (Eagle of Honor, 1907), La Marquesa Rosalinda (1913), Cuento de Abril, and La Cabeza del Bautista to name just a few. He died in 1936.
