Alejandro Rodríguez Álvarez, known as Alejandro Casona (23 March 1903 – 17 September 1965) was a Spanish poet and playwright born in
Besullo, Spain, a member of the
Generation of '27
The Generation of '27 () was an influential group of poets that arose in Spain, Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. Their first form ...
. Casona received his bachelor's degree in Gijon and later studied at the University of Murcia. After
Franco's rise in 1936, he was forced, like many Spanish intellectuals, to leave Spain. He lived in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
until April 1962, when he definitively returned to Spain.
Biography
A teacher by profession, Casona expressed a strong educational vocation, inspired by the ideals of the
Free Institution of Education, and his defense of progressive values in diverse cultural outreach projects such as Pedagogical Missions, created during the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
. In this same vein, he made many excellent adaptations of classic plays and narratives, both for adults and youth. Furthermore, in all his original dramatic creations he knew how to convey messages in a deep and clear social commitment without relinquishing his undeniable poetic inspiration.
Casona went into exile following 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 ...
and, after passing through
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, settled for a long time in Argentina. In this country he enjoyed remarkable critical and commercial success. He did not return to Spain until 1962, where he remained until his death on 17 September 1965, in Madrid. Having been one of the most recognized figures of the Spanish, Mexican and South American scene, the alien's return provided him with a terrible disappointment, as the main authors and theater critics at the time considered his work outdated, the product of an era definitively finished.
Collections
*''Obras completas de Alejandro Casona'', Madrid, Aguilar, 1969.
*''Teatro selecto'', Madrid, Escelicer, 1972.
Plays
*''El crimen de Lord Arturo'', Zaragoza, 1929.
*''
La sirena varada'', Madrid, 1934.
*''El misterio de María Celeste'', Valencia, 1935.
*''Otra vez el diablo'', Madrid, 1935.
*''El mancebo que casó con mujer brava'', Madrid, 1935.
*''Nuestra Natacha'', Madrid, 1936.
*''Prohibido suicidarse en primavera'', México, 1937.
*''Romance en tres noches'', Caracas, 1938.
*''Sinfonía inacabada'', Montevideo, 1940.
*''Pinocho y la Infantina Blancaflor'', Buenos Aires, 1940.
*''
Las Tres perfectas casadas'', Buenos Aires, 1941.
*''
La dama del alba'', Buenos Aires, 1944.
*''La barca sin pescador'', Buenos Aires, 1945.
*''La molinera de Arcos'', Buenos Aires, 1947.
*''Sancho Panza en la Ínsula'', Buenos Aires, 1947.
*''Los árboles mueren de pie'', Buenos Aires, 1949.
*''La llave en el desván'', Buenos Aires, 1951.
*''A Belén pastores'', Montevideo, 1951.
*''Siete gritos en el mar'', Buenos Aires, 1952.
*''La tercera palabra'', Buenos Aires, 1953.
*''Corona de amor y muerte'', Buenos Aires, 1955.
*''La casa de los siete balcones'', Buenos Aires, 1957.
*''Carta de una desconocida'', Porto Alegre, 1957.
*''Tres diamantes y una mujer'', Buenos Aires, 1961.
*''Carta de amor de una monja portuguesa'', Buenos Aires, 1962.
*''El caballero de las espuelas de oro'', Puertollano, 1962.
*''Don Rodrigo'', libretto for
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical music, 20th-century classical composers of the Americas.
Biography
G ...
's opera.
Screenplays
*''Veinte años y una noche'', 1941. Estudios Filmadores Argentinos.
*''En el viejo Buenos Aires'', 1941.
*''La maestrita de los obreros'', 1941. Estudios Filmadores Argentinos.
*''Concierto de almas'', 1942.
Estudios San Miguel.
*''Su primer baile'', 1942. Estudios Filmadores Argentinos.
*''Cuando florezca el naranjo'', 1942. Estudios San Miguel.
*''Ceniza al viento'', 1942. Estudios Baires.
*''
Casa de muñecas'', 1943. Estudios San Miguel.
*''Nuestra Natacha'', 1936 (Spanish version), 1943 (Brazilian Version) and 1944 (Estudios San Miguel).
*''El misterio de María Celeste'', 1944. Estudios Sonofilm.
*''
La pródiga'', 1945. Estudios San Miguel.
*''Le fruit mordu'', 1945. Estudios Andes Films.
*''Milagro de amor'', 1946. Estudios San Miguel.
*''El abuelo'', 1946. Estudios San Miguel.
*''El que recibe las bofetadas'', 1947. Producciones Ática.
*''El extraño caso de la mujer asesinada'', 1949. Estudios San Miguel.
*''La barca sin pescador'', 1950 (Argentinian version, Producciones Enelco) y 1964 (Spanish Version)
*''Romance en tres noches'', 1950. Producciones Bedoya.
*''Los árboles mueren de pie'', 1951. Estudios San Miguel.
*''Si muero antes de despertar'', 1951. Estudios San Miguel.
* ''
Don't Ever Open That Door'' (1952). Estudios San Miguel.
*''Un ángel sin pudor'', 1953. Estudios Andes Films.
*''Siete gritos en el mar'', 1954. General Belgrano.
Productions
*''Retablo jovial, piezas breves escritas para el Teatro ambulante'', Mérida, 1967.
*''Farsa y justicia del corregidor'', Valencia, 1970.
*''Marie Curie'', written in collaboration with
Francisco Madrid; la Habana, 1940.
*''
El anzuelo de Fenisa'', by
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...
, Buenos Aires, 1957.
*''
El burlador de Sevilla'', by
Tirso de Molina, Buenos Aires, 1961.
*''
Peribañez y el Comendador de Ocaña'', by
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...
, Buenos Aires, 1962.
*''
La Celestina'', by
Fernando de Rojas, Granada, 1965.
*''El sueño de una noche de verano'', (Spanish translation of ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'') by
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
, Buenos Aires, 1962.
*''Ricardo III'', (Spanish translation of ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
'') by
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
.
*''
Fuenteovejuna'', of
Lope de Vega
Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (; 25 November 156227 August 1635) was a Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was a key figure in the Spanish Golden Age (1492–1659) of Spanish Baroque literature, Baroque literature. In the literature of ...
.
*''El amor de los cuatro coroneles'', (Spanish translation of ''
The Love of Four Colonels'') by
Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...
.
Poetry
*''La empresa del Ave María'', historical romance, 1920.
*''El peregrino de la barba florida'', book of poems, 1926.
*''La flauta del sapo'', book of poems, 1930.
Essays
*''El diablo en la literatura y en el arte'', thesis, 1926.
*''El Diablo. Su valor literario principalmente en España''.
*''Vida de Francisco Pizarro'', biographical.
*''Las mujeres de Lope de Vega, vida y teatro''.
Novel
*''Flor de leyendas'', National Literature Award, 1932.
Children's Theater
*''El lindo don Gato, ¡A Belén, pastores!''; children's pieces.
*''Tres farsas infantiles'', small comedies.
Notes
Bibliography
*J. Rodríguez Richart, ''Vida y teatro de Alejandro Casona'', Oviedo: I.D.E.A., 1963
External links
*www.alejandro-casona.co
(Spanish, English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casona, Alejandro
1903 births
1965 deaths
Spanish male dramatists and playwrights
People from Asturias
Generation of '27
University of Oviedo alumni
20th-century Spanish poets
20th-century Spanish dramatists and playwrights
Spanish male poets
20th-century Spanish male writers
Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in Argentina