Álvaro de Laiglesia (9 September 1922 - 1 August 1981) was a Spanish writer and humorist.
Life and works
Álvaro de Laiglesia was born in
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
on the country's north Atlantic coast, although the family base at this point was still in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. He was one of three brothers. There were also two sisters. The family into which he was born was a prosperous one, with a holiday home at Monte Igueldo. His grandfather had been among the founders of Spanish Credit Bank. However, during the build-up to the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, the family fortunes went into a sharp decline, with the result that Álvaro de Laiglesia's upbringing involved several house moves to ever smaller apartments and changes of school. The family's art collection was replaced by a series of bare nails sticking out of the wall where the paintings had once hung. The king with whom his father had shared a passion for
pigeon racing
Pigeon racing is the sport of releasing specialized, trained homing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance. The time it takes the animal to cover the specified distance is measured and the bird's rate of t ...
went into exile in 1931. During the Civil War he grew up with his mother and two sisters in San Sebastián while much of the city was destroyed in the fighting.
Laiglesia's earliest writing was for the satirical magazine ''La Ametralladora'' (Spanish: ''The Machine gun''), which had been founded by
Miguel Mihura
Miguel Mihura Santos (21 July 1905, in Madrid – 27 October 1977) was a Spanish playwright. He is best known for his comedy '' Tres sombreros de copa'' (1952), a work of absurd humor that predates similar works by Beckett or Ionesco and ...
. He was only 16 when he began contributing. The family nevertheless felt that he needed a more secure career, and after the war ended he was sent to work with the Bank of Spain. However, he only lasted at the bank for a hundred days after which, keen to see something of the world, he jumped on board a steamer sailing to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Diario de la Marina'' (newspaper), with a weekly salary of ten
peso
The peso is the monetary unit of several Hispanophone, Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol com ...
s.
He returned from Cuba in March 1941. In Spain he switched to the daily newspaper ''Informaciones'' and was then, in 1942, a co-founder of the weekly news magazine '' La Codorniz'' (Spanish: ''The Quail''), committed, according to its motto, to producing "the boldest humour for the most intelligent reader". Starting in 1944, he would be the managing editor of this publication for 33 years.
Laiglesia was a prolific and, in his time, popular novelist. His most notable works include "Un náufrago en la sopa" (''"A castaway in the soup"'', 1944), "Todos los ombligos son redondos" (''"Navels are always round"'', 1956), "Yo soy Fulana de Tal" (''"I am Mrs so-and-so"'', 1963), "Réquiem por una furcia" (1970) and "Una larga y cálida meada" (''"A long warm leak"'', 1975).
He collaborated with
Miguel Mihura
Miguel Mihura Santos (21 July 1905, in Madrid – 27 October 1977) was a Spanish playwright. He is best known for his comedy '' Tres sombreros de copa'' (1952), a work of absurd humor that predates similar works by Beckett or Ionesco and ...
to write the stage play "El caso de la mujer asesinadita" (''"The case of the slightly murdered woman"'', 1946). He also composed a number of comedy screen plays for television, including "Consultorio" (''"Consultation Room"'', 1961), "El tercer rombo" (''"The Third diamond"'', 1966), "Historias Naturales" (1967-1968) and "Animales Racionales" (''"Rational animals"'', 1972) with Antonio Casal and Manolo Gómez Bur.
Personal life
In 1976 Álvaro de Laiglesia married an English woman, Ann Heath. He died suddenly from a cerebral thrombosis while visiting his wife's family in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England.
Novels
* ''Un náufrago en la sopa'' (1944)
* ''Una mosca en la sopa'' (1944)
* ''El baúl de los cadáveres'' (1948)
* ''La gallina de los huevos de plomo'' (1950)
* ''Se prohíbe llorar'' (1953)
* ''Sólo se mueren los tontos'' (1954)
* ''Dios le ampare, imbécil'' (1955)
* ''Todos los ombligos son redondos'' (1956)
* ''Más allá de tus narices'' (1958)
* ''¡Qué bien huelen las señoras!'' (1958)
* ''En el cielo no hay almejas'' (1959)
* ''Te quiero, bestia'' (1960)
* ''Una pierna de repuesto'' (1960)
* ''Los pecados provinciales'' (1961)
* ''Tú también naciste desnudito'' (1961)
* ''Tachado por la censura'' (1962)
* ''Yo soy Fulana de Tal'' (1963)
* ''Libertad de risa'' (1963)
* ''Mundo, Demonio y Pescado'' (1964)
* ''Con amor y sin vergüenza'' (1964)
* ''Fulanita y sus menganos'' (1965)
* ''Racionales, pero animales'' (1966)
* ''Concierto en Sí amor'' (1967)
* ''Cada Juan tiene su Don'' (1967)
* ''Los que se fueron a la porra'' (1957)
* ''Se busca rey en buen estado'' (1968)
* ''Cuéntaselo a tu tía'' (1969)
* ''Nene, caca'' (1969)
* ''Réquiem por una furcia'' (1970)
* ''Mejorando lo presente'' (1971)
* ''Medio muerto nada más'' (1971)
* ''El sexy Mandamiento'' (1971)
* ''Tocata en ja'' (1972)
* ''Listo el que lo lea'' (1973)
* ''Es usted un mamífero'' (1974)
* ''Una larga y cálida meada'' (1975)
* ''Cuatro patas para un sueño'' (1975)
* ''El sobrino de Dios'' (1976)
* ''Tierra cachonda'' (1977)
* ''Se levanta la tapa de los sexos'' (1978)
* ''Los hijos de Pu'' (1979)
* ''Morir con las medias puestas'' (1980)
* ''La Codorniz sin jaula'' (1981)
* ''Mamá, teta'' (1981)