Antonio Buero Vallejo

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Bust of Antonio Buero Vallejo in Guadalajara

Antonio Buero Vallejo (born September 29, 1916 in Guadalajara , † April 29, 2000 in Madrid ) was a Spanish playwright and painter .

Life

Antonio Buero Vallejo was born in Guadalajara. His father Francisco was a captain in the Spanish army and a drawing teacher at the Academia Militar de Ingenieros. His mother's name was María Cruz. His brother Francisco was born in 1911 and his sister Carmen in 1926. Antonio spent his childhood in Guadalajara, where he also went to school. From 1927 to 1928 he went to Larache in Morocco with his father (who was stationed there) . He was a talented draftsman and actually wanted to be a painter, but found literature early on because his father owned many books. In 1932 he received a prize for a story in a school competition. In 1934 the family moved to Madrid, where he enrolled at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando . After the outbreak of theDuring the Spanish Civil War in 1936, he wanted to volunteer for the front on the Republican side, but his family was against it.

On December 7, 1936, Buero Vallejo's father was executed as a member of the Republican Army in the course of the war . Buero Vallejo then reported as a soldier in 1937 and fought in an infantry regiment on the Jarama Front. At the end of the war he was in Valencia , where he was arrested and imprisoned in the bullring for a few days; then he was sent to the Soneja concentration camp near Castellón for a month . He was allowed to return home on condition that he report to the authorities. He did not comply, but took part in the rebuilding of the Partido Comunista de España (Communist Party of Spain), which he had joined during the civil war.

In May or June 1939 he was arrested and sentenced to death in an express trial ; eight months later, the death penalty was commuted to life imprisonment. He served his sentence in various prisons, for example a year and a half in Conde de Toreno, where he painted a later famous picture of his fellow writer Miguel Hernández . He was trapped in El Dueso for three years and in Santa Rita for a year. In early March 1946 Buero Vallejo was pardoned and released on probation, but he was not allowed to enter the urban area of ​​Madrid, which is why he settled in Carabanchel Bajo. He became a member of the Ateneo and published some drawings in various newspapers.

At this time his interest began to turn away from painting and towards literature. In August 1946 he wrote his first drama, En la ardiente oscuridad , in just one week , which was adapted for cinema in 1959 by Daniel Tinayre in Argentina ; However, since the director had changed the end of the drama and thus the message of the play, he had to rename his film to Luz en la sombra later at the request of Buero Vallejo . Between 1947 and 1948 Buero Vallejo wrote Historia de una escalera , later his most famous play. The premiere was an unexpected success with the public and was also applauded by theater critics; later the drama was made into a film by Ignacio F. Iquino. 1948 wrote Buero Historia despiadada and Otro juicio de Salomón as well as the one-act play Las palabras en la arena .

In the 1950s, pieces by Buero Vallejo were performed for the first time abroad, for example in Mexico City , Mexico and Santa Barbara in the USA . In 1954, however, the Dirección General de Cinematografía y Teatro banned the premiere of Aventura en lo gris in Spain, and problems with the censorship authorities continued into the 1960s . During this time the discussion with his fellow writer Alfonso Sastre about the possibilities of writing under a totalitarian regime took place, which was mainly carried out in the magazine Primer Acto .

In 1959 he married the actress Victoria Rodríguez, with whom he had two children: Carlos (* 1960) and Enrique (* 1961).

In 1963, the author took part in a petition from 100 Spanish intellectuals to the Ministry of Information and Tourism, which is why he was de facto banned from performing for several years and was hushed up in the press. The piece La doble historia del doctor Valmy , written in 1964, could only be premiered after the end of the Franco dictatorship in 1976.

In view of the difficulties in his own country, Buero Vallejo undertook a long trip to the USA, where he gave guest lectures at various universities. In 1967 his drama El tragaluz was premiered, which became a great success with the public and saw several hundred performances.

In 1971 Buero Vallejo was accepted into the Real Academia Española . After Spain returned to democracy, he became a founding member of the Association of Former Civil War Fighters ("Unión de Ex Combatientes de la Guerra de España") and the Association of Former Political Prisoners and Victims of Civil War ("Asociación de Ex Presos y Represaliados de la Guerra Civil"). His reputation abroad increased noticeably, and he was invited to various theater festivals and congresses, such as: Caracas : IV.Sesión Mundial del Teatro de las Naciones 1977, Modern Language Association, New York City , 1978, German Hispanic Association in Tübingen , guest lectures at the universities of Freiburg im Üechtland , Neuchâtel and Geneva in 1980, at the PEN Club in Oslo ; the University of Murcia published a volume on his dramatic work in 1984. In 1985, the city council of Guadalajara created the "Premio de Teatro Antonio Buero Vallejo" named after him.

1986 his son Enrique died in a traffic accident; he dedicated his piece Lázaro en el laberinto to him . On the day of the premiere he was the first playwright to be awarded the Cervantes Prize. Ten years later he would also be the first playwright to be awarded the Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas.

On April 29, 2000, Antonio Buero Vallejo died of a stroke at the age of 83 .

plant

Antonio Buero Vallejo was one of the most important playwrights in Spain in the 20th century. He mainly wrote socially and socially critical pieces. Since he was constantly hindered by the censorship, he decided to take a practice of the possible, the so-called "Posibilismo". He was heavily criticized for this by other authors critical of the regime, in particular Alfonso Sastre. He was an important author for the renewal of the Spanish theater after the civil war, in a realistic, serious, rather tragic facet, which contrasts strongly with the frivolous comedy that was en vogue in Spain at the time. His entire work is pervaded by a strongly socially critical component, one can also find existentialist traits in him. Buero by no means pursues an aesthetic of socialist realism . Often he takes disabilities such as blindness and deafness as the starting point of a dramatic conflict. The scenes are both real and symbolic: a staircase, a cellar ... Often his dramas are about oppression and torture, about general human issues such as truth, guilt, faith, love etc., but without a religious component.

Buero Vallejo also took part in colloquiums, wrote in magazines, promoted the development of a drama theory in Spain, and became a mentor for younger authors. In addition, he was very well received by the audience, especially the young university, and was able to record great success, ultimately also with theater criticism, there are an extraordinary number of studies about his work. Several phases can be identified in his extensive work, from socially critical realism through symbolic and historical dramas to more experimental forms with leaps in time, multiple scenes, embodiment of dreams and visions, etc. (cf. Sanz Villanueva: 243ff.).

Before the civil war, Buero Vallejo was also known as a visual artist, for example his painting of Miguel Hernández , with whom he was imprisoned for a while , is famous .

Plays

  • Historia de una escalera , first performance at the Teatro Español in Madrid, October 14, 1949.
  • En la ardiente oscuridad , first performance at the Teatro María Guerrero, December 1, 1950
  • La tejedora de sueños , first performed at the Teatro Español, January 11, 1952
  • La señal que se espera , first performance at the Teatro Infanta Isabel, May 21, 1952.
  • Casi un cuento de hadas , first performance at the Teatro Alcázar, January 10, 1953
  • Madrugada , first performance at the Teatro Alcázar, December 9, 1953
  • Irene, o el tesoro , first performance at the Teatro María Guerrero, December 14, 1954
  • Hoy es fiesta , first performance at the Teatro María Guerrero, September 20, 1956
  • Las cartas boca abajo , first performance at the Teatro Reina Victoria, December 5, 1957
  • Un soñador para un pueblo , first performance at the Teatro Español, December 18, 1958, filming in 1988 under the title Esquilache , director Josefina Molina
  • Las Meninas , first performance at the Teatro Español, December 9, 1960
  • El concierto de San Ovidio , first performance at the Teatro Goya, November 16, 1962
  • El tragaluz , first performance at the Teatro Bellas Artes, October 7, 1967
  • La doble historia del doctor Valmy , first performance in English at the Gateway Theater in Chester, Great Britain, 22 November 1968, Spanish first performance: Teatro Benavente, 29 January 1976
  • El sueño de la razón , first performance at the Teatro Reina Victoria, February 6, 1970
  • Llegada de los dioses , first performance at the Teatro Lara, September 17, 1971
  • La Fundación , world premiere at the Teatro Fígaro, January 15, 1974
  • La detonación , world premiere at the Teatro Bellas Artes, September 20, 1977
  • Jueces en la noche , first performance at the Teatro Lara, October 2, 1979
  • Diálogo secreto , world premiere at the Teatro Victoria Eugenia in San Sebastián , 6 August 1984
  • Lázaro en el laberinto , first performance at the Teatro Maravillas, December 18, 1986.
  • Música cercana , world premiere at the Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao , August 18, 1989
  • Las trampas del azar , world premiere at the Teatro Juan Bravo in Segovia , 23 September 1994
  • Misión al pueblo desierto , first performed at the Teatro Español de Madrid, October 8, 1999

Poetry

  • Tentativas poéticas , 1991 (26 poems)

Complete edition

  • Obra completa . Ed. By Iglesias Feijoo, Luis / Paco, Mariano de. Madrid: Espasa Calpe, 1994.

German translations

  • Judges in the night: Profane mystery in 2 parts . Translated from the Spanish by Achim Gebauer. Berlin: Henschel, [1982?]
  • The concert of Saint Ovide: parable in 3 acts . Translated from the Spanish by Fritz Rudolf Fries. Berlin: Henschel, [1977]
  • The foundation: fable in 2 parts . Translated from the Spanish by Fritz Rudolf Fries. Berlin: Henschel, [1975]

Honourings and prices

  • Premio Lope de Vega for Historia de una escalera 1949
  • Premio Nacional de Teatro 1956
  • Premio María Rolland for Hoy es fiesta .
  • Premio Nacional de Teatro for Las cartas boca abajo 1957
  • Premio Nacional de Teatro and Premio María Rolland for Un soñador para un pueblo 1958
  • Premio de la Crítica de Barcelona for Un soñador para un pueblo 1959
  • Premio de Teatro de la Fundación Juan March for Hoy es fiesta 1959
  • Premio María Rolland for Las Meninas 1960
  • Premio Larra and Premio de la Crítica de Barcelona for El concierto de San Ovidio 1962
  • Corresponding member of the Hispanic Society of America 1966
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica and Premio Leopoldo Cano for El tragaluz 1967
  • Honorary member of The American Association de Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese in 1969
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica and Premio Leopoldo Cano for El sueño de la razón 1970
  • Member of the Real Academia Española 1970
  • Premio Leopoldo Cano for Llegada de los dioses 1970
  • Premio Leopoldo Cano, Premio Mayte, El Espectador y la Crítica, Long Play, Le Carrousel and Foro Teatral for La Fundación 1974
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica, Leopoldo Cano, Radio España and Maratón Radio Popular for La doble historia del doctor Valmy 1976
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica for La detonación 1977
  • Premio Nacional de Teatro for his complete works in 1980
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica and Premio Long Play for Caimán 1981
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica, Long Play and Premio Ercilla for Diálogo secreto 1984
  • Valle-Inclán Medal of the Asociación de Escritores y Artistas 1984
  • Premio Pablo Iglesias 1986
  • Cervantes Prize 1986
  • Premio El Espectador y la Crítica for Lázaro en el laberinto 1986
  • Honorary Citizenship of Guadalajara 1986
  • Medalla de Oro de Castilla-La Mancha 1988
  • Honorary member of the Asociación de Escritores y Artistas 1988
  • Honorary President of the Asociación de Autores de Teatro 1991
  • Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes 1993
  • Medalla de Honor de la Sociedad General de Autores de España 1994
  • Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1996
  • Medal of Honor of the Universidad Carlos III Madrid 1997
  • Medal of the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha 1997
  • Medalla de Oro of the Guadalajara Province 1997
  • Banda de honor de la "Orden de Andrés Bello" of the Republic of Venezuela 1997
  • Premio a las Letras of the Comunidad de Madrid 1997

See also

literature

  • Katrin C. Bernhard: Censorship-related strategy or aesthetic concept? The dramatic work of Antonio Buero Vallejo in Francoist and democratic Spain. (= European university publications. Series 24, Ibero-Romance languages ​​and literatures. Volume 69). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main / Berlin; Bern / Bruxelles / New York / Oxford / Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-631-38185-9 .
  • Jovita Bobes Naves: Aspectos semiológicos del teatro de Buero Vallejo. (= Problemata literaria. 39). Ed. Reichenberger, Kassel 1997, ISBN 3-930700-93-X .
  • Martin Franzbach: History of Spanish Literature at a Glance. (= Universal Library. No. 8861). Reclam, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-15-008861-5 .
  • Reinhold Grimm: An Iberian "alternative"? Antonio Buero Vallejo, Brecht and the modern world theater. (= Publications of the Department of Languages ​​and Intercultural Studies, University of Aalborg. Vol. 6). Verlag Text and Context, Copenhagen / Fink, Munich 1991, ISBN 87-88027-48-1 .
  • Hans U. Gumbrecht: A history of Spanish literature. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt am Main 1998, ISBN 3-518-58062-0 .
  • Heribert Härtinger: Opposition theater in the dictatorship: criticism of Spain in the work of the playwright Antonio Buero Vallejo against the background of the Francoist censorship. (= Studia litteraria. Volume 8). Egert, Wilhelmsfeld 1997, ISBN 3-926972-56-4 .
  • Hans-Jörg Neuschäfer: Spanish literary history. 2nd Edition. Metzler, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-476-01857-1 .
  • Mariano de Paco, Díez de Revenga, Francisco Javier (eds.): Antonio Buero Vallejo, dramaturgo universal. CajaMurcia, Obra Cultural, Murcia 2001.
  • Mary Kathleen Rice: Distancia e inmersión en el teatro Buero Vallejo. (= American University Studies: Series 2, Romance Languages ​​and Literature. Vol. 169). Peter Lang, New York / San Francisco / Bern / Frankfurt am Main / Paris / London 1992, ISBN 0-8204-1555-3 .
  • Santos Sanz Villanueva: Historia de la literatura española 6/2. El siglo XX. Literatura actual. Edit. Ariel, Barcelona 1984.
  • Christoph Strosetzki: History of Spanish Literature. 2., unchanged. Edition. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1996, ISBN 3-484-50307-6 .
  • Susan Willis-Altamirano: Buero Vallejo's Theater: (1949-1977); Coded Resistance and Models of Enlightenment. (= European University Studies: Ser. 24, Ibero-Romance languages ​​and literature. Vol. 66). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main / Berlin / Bern / Bruxelles / New York / Oxford / Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-631-38247-2

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Office Vallejo, Antonio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish playwright and painter
DATE OF BIRTH September 29, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Guadalajara , Spain
DATE OF DEATH April 29, 2000
Place of death Madrid , Spain