Jacinto Benavente

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Jacinto Benavente

Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (born August 12, 1866 in Madrid ; † July 14, 1954 ibid) was a Spanish playwright and journalist and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922. He is considered the founder of modern Spanish theater.

Life

Jacinto Benavente began studying law in Madrid, which he broke off after the death of his father, known as a doctor. Instead, he made extensive trips across Europe. The extensive legacy of his father was available to him for this. During his travels he worked as an amateur actor and ringmaster. Back in Spain he wrote for newspapers and magazines. Later he was editor-in-chief of the magazine "La vida literaria" and also worked for the magazines "La Ilustración" and "El imparcial". His play "Gente conocida" gave him a breakthrough and established a brilliant career until his death. Because of his merits, he became director of the Spanish National Theater in 1920. With his almost 200 plays, Benavente enlivened the Spanish theater enormously. This fact found its appreciation in 1922 with the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature "... for the renewal of the glorious tradition of the Spanish theater ...". In 1947 he became honorary president of the International Association of Writers and Composers.

Like many other intellectuals in Spain, Benavente went through extreme political change. At the beginning of the 20th century and during the Spanish Civil War, he denounced the social grievances (e.g. in "Los intereses creados"), founded the Asociación de Amigos de la Unión Soviética in 1933 and supported the Spanish Popular Front and the Republic .

Monument in Retiro Park in Madrid.

After the end of the civil war , however, he expressed his support for Franco at a demonstration in the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid in 1947.

To this day he is considered the founder of modern Spanish theater.

Jacinto Benavente y Martínez, who remained unmarried all his life, died at the age of 88 on July 14, 1954 in Madrid. There is a memorial to him in Retiro Park.

Works (selection)

  • La ciudad alegre y confiada (1916) [Ger. The happy city of recklessness, 1919]
  • Los intereses creados (1908) [Ger. The virtuous soldier of fortune, 1917]
  • Su amante esposa (1950) [Ger. His affectionate wife, 1950]

literature

  • Brockhaus Nobel Prizes. Chronicle of outstanding achievements . Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim, 2nd edition 2004, ISBN 978-3-7653-0491-0

Web links

Commons : Jacinto Benavente  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ El exilio interior: ser artista en la dictadura franquista. In: United Explanations. November 26, 2013, accessed May 30, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Benavente, Jacinto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1922)
DATE OF BIRTH August 12, 1866
PLACE OF BIRTH Madrid
DATE OF DEATH July 14, 1954
Place of death Madrid