José Luis Martín Descalzo

José Luis Martín Descalzo (born August 27, 1930 in Madridejos , Toledo Province , Spain , † June 11, 1991 in Madrid ) was a Spanish priest , poet, journalist and translator.

Life

Family and origin

José Luis Martín Descalzo was the youngest of four surviving children of Valeriano Martín and Pepita Descalzo (a fifth child had died after birth). When he was three years old, his family moved to Astorga . His father, a Valladolid judicial officer, had been transferred there. José Luis Martín Descalzo found Astorga to be his home throughout his life; Impressions from Astorga are reflected in several of his novels.

Youth and Studies

José Luis Martín Descalzo's desire to become a priest matured early on, perhaps strengthened by the example of an uncle who was a priest. At the age of twelve he entered the Minor Seminary in Astorga and later moved to the Minor Seminary in León . He completed the subsequent study of philosophy in the seminary in Valladolid.

Because of his talent, he was nominated for the Spanish College in Rome with a grant from the city of Valladolid . He joined a group of alumni interested in literature and founded with friends, including Luis Alonso Schökel SJ (1920–1998) and Antonio Montero Moreno , the magazine Estría del Colegio Español , in which he published his first texts. In 1952 he gained at the Gregoriana the licentiate in theology. The hoped-for dispensation for ordination at the age of only 21 was not granted to him. He therefore followed up with a postgraduate course in history, which he completed with his second licentiate (in history). He was ordained a priest on March 19, 1953.

Return to Spain

Since there was initially no vacancy for the young priest in his diocese, Martín Descalzo was temporarily a chaplain to religious sisters in Tournon-sur-Rhône (southern France), also to improve his French. From 1954 to 1960 he was a lecturer in Spanish literature at the seminary in Valladolid. There he also founded a theater group for chamber plays . He was also a subsidiary in the parish of Santiago in Valladolid.

During his years as a lecturer at the seminary in Valladolid, Martín Descalzo published several volumes of poetry and short stories. In 1955 his autobiographical book Un cura se confiesa (German: Confession of a young priest , 1960) was published. It caused a sensation and was translated into eight languages.

journalist

Martín Descalzo began his career as a journalist at the age of 24. He wrote the weekly column "Cosas de Dios" for the daily newspaper El Norte de Castilla , and since 1958 has also written for the daily newspaper Ya . Within a few years he became one of the most widely read columnists in the Spanish press.

In 1960 his bishop released him as a lecturer at the Gregorian. On his return from Rome, he wrote for the Bilbao newspaper La Gaceta del Norte . He also took up further postgraduate studies in journalism at the Escuela Oficial de Periodismo in Madrid. In 1966 he completed it with his third licentiate. He interrupted his studies to report on the Second Vatican Council . The Gaceta del Norte had sent him to Rome in 1962 as their correspondent. His reports were reprinted by numerous newspapers in Spain and Latin America and shaped the image of the Council in Spanish-speaking countries. After each session , a selection of his reports appeared as a book under the title Un periodista en el Concilio , a total of four volumes (one volume each for the four session periods).

In 1966 he joined the editorial team of the ABC newspaper in Madrid, for which he worked for more than two decades. At first he was responsible for the section “La Iglesia en el mundo de hoy” (Church and World Today), then for the weekly literature supplement “Sabado Cultural”. In 1976 he became head of the features section of ABC, in 1987 head of the editorship “Sociedad” (society). His daily column on ABC made him one of the most influential voices in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s. His readers valued - besides his humor - in particular the articles in which he described his reading experiences with novels and philosophical works and made them to a certain extent "followers". He knew how to present demanding topics in simple language in an understandable way, without simplifying them, - to transfer them into the language of the street (“traducir al lenguaje de la calle”), as he used to say. Since 1980 he has been one of the publishers of ABC.

“On the side” he was editor-in-chief of the magazines Vida Nueva (from 1968 to 1975) and Blanco y Negro (from 1978 to 1981) as well as co-editor of the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos . Since 1982 he has designed the religious series Pueblo de Dios by Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE).

Martín Descalzo was considered a "cura progre" ("cura progresista", progressive pastor), which did not mean that he was politically left, but that he appeared as a priest anything but "dignified", that he was before and after the end of the Franco dictatorship to overcome the ossification of the Catholic Church and that he was friends with many left-wing intellectuals. He was impressed a. from the writings of the philosopher and sociologist José Luis López-Aranguren Jiménez . After Óscar Romero's murder , whom many in the Spanish hierarchy disparaged as a “red bishop”, Martín Descalzo was one of the first in Spain to call Archbishop Romero a saint . He dedicated numerous essays to the life and work of St. John of the Cross .

In addition to his journalistic work, Martín Descalzo was a subsidiar and pastor in the parish of Santa María de la Caridad in Madrid.

The last years of his life were marked by serious illnesses. His older sister Ángeles (1926-2007), who belonged to the order of the Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, looked after him. In the face of death, Martín Descalzo wrote the poems that were published in the volume Testament of the Lonely Bird , which became one of his most famous works. In 1991, the year it was first published, 13 editions appeared. Some of these poems, such as the sonnet La luz tras tanta noche oscura , are recited over and over again at funerals and memorial services in Spain and Latin America.

José Luis Martín Descalzo was buried in Valladolid.

Literary work

Martín Descalzo published more than 70 books, including smaller volumes of poetry. His books and plays have been translated into Basque, Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Croatian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish. His most successful novel was La frontera de Dios (German: The Frontier of God , 1958), which was translated into nine languages.

His most successful play was the one-person play Las prostitutas os precederán en el Reino de los Cielos ( The prostitutes are more likely to come to the kingdom of God than you ), one of the most frequently performed plays in Spain in the 1980s. At the performances in Madrid it was played by Elisa Montés . For the Teatro de la Zarzuela he adapted some classical fabrics, especially from Lope de Vega (including Fuenteovejuna ).

Some of his poems have been a. set to music by Pipo Prendes and Francisco Palazón.

After his death - apart from a small, loyal community of readers - interest in his literary work gradually waned. His spiritual writings, on the other hand, continue to be reprinted in the 21st century. Several volumes were published from his estate.

Honors

• 1952: Premio Ínsula de poesía for Seis sonetos del alba
• 1953: Premio Naranco de Novela Corta for Diálogos de cuatro muertos
• 1956: Premio Nadal for La frontera de Dios
• 1959: Premio Ausiàs March for essay writing for Personajes bíblicos y literatura (as a writing grant for one year)
• 1962: Premio teatral de autores for La hoguera feliz
• 1967: Premio Alba de Tormes de poesía for Seis sonetos eucarísticos
• 1967: Premio de poesía Concha Espina for La tentación de María
• 1969: Premio Ramón Godó Lallana (Conde de Godó) for journalism
• 1971: Premio de Manos Unidas for his reports from the Middle East and India
• 1975: Premio Hucha de Plata de Narraciones Cortas for his short stories
• 1975: Premio Luca de Tena for journalism
• 1976: Premio Ramón Cunill
• 1977: Premio González-Ruano de Periodismo
• 1978: Premio José María Pemán for Segundo juicio a Galileo
• 1985: Premio de poesía Rafael Morales for El joven Dios
• In his hometown of Madridejos, Avenida José Luis Martín Descalzo is named after him.

Premio Martín Descalzo

In memory of José Luis Martín Descalzo, the Premio Martín Descalzo for journalism was awarded from 2000 to 2008 .

Fonts (selection)

Novels

• Diálogo para cuatro muertos . 1954.
• La frontera de Dios . 1956.
• (under the pseudonym Martín Azcárate) El hombre que no sabía pecar . 1960.
• Lobos, perros y corderos . 1978.
• El demonio de media tarde . 1982.

Poetry

• Fábulas con Dios al fondo . 1957.
• Camino de la cruz . 1959.
• Querido mundo terrible . 1970.
• Apócrifo . 1975.
• Apócrifo del domingo . 1982.
• Lo que María Guardaba en su corazón . 1985.
• El joven Dios . 1986.
• Apócrifo de María . 1990.
• Testamento del pájaro solitario . 1991.
• Nacido de mujer . 1992 (posthumously).

stories

• Fray Juan de la Mano Seca . 1957 (also as a script for the film of the same name by Ismael Merlo, 1966).
• San José García (collected stories and short stories). 1959.
• Por un mundo menos malo (collected stories). 1960.
• Siempre es Viernes Santo (collected stories). 1963.
• Los once testigos (a story about what happened on Maundy Thursday ). 1963.
• Paco y su gata . 1983.

Biographical

• El verdadero rostro de María Rafols (via Blessed María Rafols Bruna). 1981.
• Tarancón, el cardenal del cambio (via Cardinal Vicente Enrique y Tarancón ). 1982.
• Teresa de Jesus y sus descalzos. Escritos sobre el Carmelo (about Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross). Edited by Antonio Martínez Serrano. 2015.

Autobiographical

• Un cura se confiesa . 1955.

Spiritual writings

• Si Cristo volviera . 1956.
• Cortesía con Dios . 1957.
• Las ocho locuras de Cristo (on the Beatitudes ). 1959.
• Dios es alegre . 1971.
• La Iglesia, nuestra hija . 1972.
• Razones series ... 1984–2000.
  • Razones para la esperanza . 1984.
  • Razones para la alegría . 1985.
  • Razones para el amor . 1986.
  • Razones para vivir . 1990.
  • Razones desde la otra orilla . 1991.
  • Razones para la esperanza . 1993 (posthumously).
  • Las razones de su vida . 2000 (posthumously).
  • Complete edition under the title Mil razones . 2003.
  • Razones para iluminar la enfermedad . 2009 (posthumous).
• Vida y misterio de Jesús de Nazareth . 1986.
  • Vol. 1: Los comienzos .
  • Vol. 2: El mensaje .
  • Vol. 3: La cruz y la gloria .
  • Vida y misterio de Jesús de Nazareth . Complete edition in one volume. 1989.
• Diálogos de pasión . 1991.
• The sermon de las siete palabras . 1994 (posthumously).
• Diálogos de María Magdalena . 2006 (posthumously).
• Para mí la vida es Cristo. El sacerdote que habla a sus hermanos. Antología de textos escritos para el programa “Pueblo de Dios” (TVE) . 2009 (posthumous).
• 201 razones para creer. Con una fe arriesgada, gozosa y comprometida . 2012 (posthumous).

Spectacles

• La hoguera feliz (via Jeanne d'Arc ). 1962.
• A dos barajas. Requien en dos actos . 1972.
• El segundo juicio de Galileo . 1978 (world premiere with Victoria Abril, among others ).
• Las prostitutas os precederán en el reino de los cielos . 1984.
• El peregrino , 2001 (posthumous).

Collected journalistic work

• Un periodista en el concilio . Four volumes. 1962-1965.
• Reconciliación entre españoles . 1970.
• Así escribía en los 50 años de "Vida Nueva" . 2008 (posthumously).

Collected movie reviews

• Experiencia prematrimonial . 1972.
• Un hombre como los demás . 1975.

To church history

• El Concilio de Juan y Pablo. Documentos pontificios sobre la preparación, desarrollo e interpretación del Vaticano II . 1967.
• Encuentros con Pablo VI . 1968.
• Todo sobre el concordato . 1971.

Translations

Martín Descalzo translated numerous literary and spiritual texts into Spanish, a. a. the Prières (prayers) by Michel Quoist and Le Mystère de la charité de Jeanne d'Arc by Charles Péguy . Together with José Jiménez Lozano he edited the Spanish translations of the writings of Charles Péguy. He translated the musical Godspell by John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz from English .

Books in German translation

• God's limit . Novel. Translated by Bruno Geuter. Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 1958.
• Confession of a young priest . Translated by Ursula von Colbe. Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1960 and Sankt Benno Verlag, Leipzig 1968.
• Lone Bird's Testament. Last lyric . Translated and commented by Franz Niedermayer. Tyrolia-Verlag, Innsbruck 1993, ISBN 3-7022-1885-8 .

literature

in order of appearance

• Franz Niedermayer: Spain's youngest poet: José Luis Martín Descalzo . In: Neues Abendland , Vol. 12 (1957), H. 4, pp. 333–337.
• Teófilo Aparicio López: José Luis Martín Descalzo. Biógrafo y enamorado de Jesús y poeta con Dios al fondo . In: Religión y Cultura , vol. 1992, pp. 25–59.
• "Martín Descalzo fue un cura progre, gran poeta, periodista valiente y novelista que dijo cosas" Antonio Astorga in conversation with Francisco Umbral . In: ABC, June 10, 2001.
• Ana Rodríguez Falcón: El imaginario como lenguaje teológico. Aplicación a la poesía de José Luís Martín Descalzo . In: Terceras Jornadas Diálogos entre Literatura, Estética y Teología . Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires 2007, pp. 1-13.
• Ana Rodríguez Falcón: La fusión del dolor humano en el dolor divino en Testamento del pájaro solitario de JL Martín Descalzo . In: Asociación Latinoamericana de Literatura y Teología (ALALITE): Literatura y Teología. Aproximaciones teóricas y prácticas (= Primer Coloquio Latinoamericano de Literatura y Teología). Rio de Janeiro 2017, ISBN 978-987-23520-0-4 , pp. 1-15.
• Juan Cantavella: Martín Descalzo, a cura volcado en la prensa y en la literatura . In: Juan Cantavella, José Francisco Serrano (eds.): El informador religioso. Una perspectiva histórica . Fragua, Madrid 2012, pp. 147-170.
• Antonio Martínez Serrano: La figura del sacerdote y su espiritualidad en los escritos de José Luis Martín Descalzo. Entre el asombro y el entusiasmo por el sacerdocio . Diss., Facultad de Teología del Norte de España, Burgos 2009.

Web links

• Biography of José Luis Martín Descalzo
• José Luis Martín Descalzo on the Biografías y Vidas portal

Footnotes

1. ^ José Luis Martín Descalzo: Confession of a young priest . Matthias Grünewald Publishing House, Mainz 1960.
2. ↑ ^{a b} José Antonio Álvarez-Gundin: Fallce a los sesenta años el sacerdote y escitor José Luis Martín Descalzo. In: ABC, June 11, 1991, p. 57.
3. ^ José Luis Martín Descalzo: Confession of a young priest . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1960, p. 78.
4. ↑ ^{a b} José Luis Martín Descalzo , accessed on September 16, 2017.
5. ^ José Luis Martín Descalzo: Confession of a young priest . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1960, p. 16.
6. ^ José Luis Martín Descalzo: Confession of a young priest . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1960, p. 105.
7. ^ José Luis Martín Descalzo: Confession of a young priest . Matthias Grünewald Verlag, Mainz 1960, p. 154.
8. ↑ José Luis Martín Descalzo, sacerdote y escritor . (Obituary) In: El País , June 12, 1991.
9. ^ Periodismo Ramón Godó Lallana . In: ABC, May 13, 1969.
10. ↑ ^{a b} "Martín Descalzo fue un cura progre, gran poeta, periodista valiente y novelista que dijo cosas." Antonio Astorga in conversation with Francisco Umbral . ABC, June 10, 2001.
11. ^ "Pueblo de Dios" y "Últimas preguntas" . In: ABC, September 29, 1982.
12. ↑ ABC, March 20, 1982, p. 31.
13. ↑ Santiago Sastre Ariza: Las noches toledanas de San Juan de la Cruz . In: ABC, June 25, 2010.
14. ↑ José María Martín Patino: Un hombre bueno . In: El País, June 12, 1991.
15. ↑ Ángeles Martín Descalzo . (Obituary). In: ABC, May 12, 2007, p. 64.
16. ↑ Juan Manuel Gutierrez: José Luis Martín Descalzo: el gran periodista sacerdote del s. XX español ( Memento of the original from September 17, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Forum Libertas. Diario digital , January 24, 2005, accessed September 16, 2017. 
17. ↑ Las prostitutas os precederán en el Reino de los Cielos , accessed on September 16, 2017.
18. ↑ El País, November 8, 1984.
19. ^ Andrés Peláez Martín: Lope de Vega en la programación de los teatros nacionales y en festivales de España . In: Felipe B. Pedraza Jiménez (ed.): Lope de Vega. Comedia urbana y comedia palatina. Actas de las 18 Jornadas de Teatro Clásico, Almagro, 11, 12 and 13 de julio de 1995 . Instituto Almagro de Teatro Clásico, Ciudad Real 1996, ISBN 84-89492-45-X , pp. 83-103, here p. 102.
20. ↑ ABC, June 15, 1978.