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 ...
) is a Spanish dramatist. He is best known in English-speaking countries for his 2004 play ''Himmelweg (Way to Heaven)'', which was brought to the London stage in June 2017 as part of the
Festival of Spanish Theatre in London (Festelón)
The Festival of Spanish Theatre of London (FesTeLõn) has taken place in London every year since 2013, when it opened at the Greenwood Theatre, with a production of ''El Diccionario (The Dictionary)'' by Manuel Calzada, a play about the lexicograph ...
.
Biography
Mayorga was born on April 6, 1965, and grew up in the Madrid neighborhood of
Chamberí
Chamberí is a district of 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 ...
. Mayorga studied as a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy of the
Spanish National Research Council
The Spanish National Research Council (, CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote research that will help bring about scientific and techn ...
under the direction of the philosopher Reyes Mate, before furthering his studies in Münster, Berlin and Paris. He received a
PhD in Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
in 1997 from the
National University of Distance Education
The National Distance Education University (, UNED) is a distance learning and research university founded in 1972 and is the only university run by the government of Spain. The headquarters is located in Madrid, with campuses in all Spanish aut ...
.
On April 12, 2018, he was elected a member of the Language Academy to occupy chair "M," which had been vacant since the death of poet and linguist Carlos Bousoño on October 24, 2015. Philologist Dolores Corbella was also a candidate for that chair. Mayorga's candidacy was supported by academics Luis María Ansón,
Luis Mateo Díez
Luis Mateo Díez Rodríguez (born 21 September 1942) is a Spanish writer. He has written widely in a variety of genres, and has published over 50 books till date. He is best known for his works that focus on the fictional Kingdom of Celama (e.g ...
, and José Manuel Sánchez Ron.
Works
His 2015 play ''Reykjavík'' involves a recreation of the
World Chess Championship 1972
The World Chess Championship 1972 was a match for the World Chess Championship between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. The match took place in the Laugardalshöll in Reykja ...
which took place in the Icelandic capital between
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigra ...
and
Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...
. It has been adapted for radio and was broadcast on
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
in 2023.
His plays include:
* ''Siete hombres buenos'' (1989)
* ''Más ceniza'', Calderón de la Barca Award winner 1992 (1993).
* ''El traductor de Blumemberg'' (1993)
* ''El sueño de Ginebra'' (1993)
* ''Concierto fatal de la viuda Kolakowski'' (1994).
* ''El hombre de oro'' (1996)
* ''Cartas de amor a Stalin'' (1997)
* ''El jardín quemado'' (1999)
* ''Angelus Novus'' (1999)
* ''El Gordo y el Flaco'' (2001)
* ''Alejandro y Ana'' (en colaboración con Juan Cavestany) (2002).
* ''Sonámbulo'' (2003)
* ''Palabra de perro'' (2003)
* ''Himmelweg. Camino del cielo'' (2003).
* ''Animales nocturnos'' (2003)
* ''Últimas palabras de Copito de Nieve'' (2004)
* ''Hamelin'' (2005)
* ''Job'' (2006)
* ''El chico de la última fila'' (2006)
* ''Fedra'' (2007)
* ''La paz perpetua'' (2007)
* ''Primera noticia de la catástrofe'' (2007)
* ''La tortuga de Darwin'' (2008)
* ''El cartógrafo'' (2009)
* ''Los yugoslavos'' (2010)
* ''El elefante ha ocupado la catedral'' (2011)
* ''La lengua en pedazos'' (2011)
* ''El crítico (Si supiera cantar, me salvaría)'' (2012)
* ''Penumbra'' (with Juan Cavestany)
* ''El arte de la entrevista'' (2014)
* ''Famélica'' (2014)
* ''Reikiavik'' (2015), about the duel between
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigra ...
and
Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...
.
* ''Amistad'' (2017)
* ''El mago'' (2017)
* ''La intérprete'' (2018)
* ''Intensamente azules'' (2018).
* ''Shock 1 (el cóndor y el puma)'' (2020) (with Juan Cavestany, Albert Boronat, and Andés Lima).
* ''Shock 2 (la tormenta y la guerra) (2021)'' (with Juan Cavestany, Albert Boronat, and Andés Lima).
* ''Silencio'' (2022), based on his acceptance speech at the
Royal Spanish Academy
The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...
National Dramatic Literature Award
The National Dramatic Literature Award of Spain () is a cultural prize that is awarded annually by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
It is one the National Prizes awarded by Spain Ministry of Culture.Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, in
Craiova
Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia.
It i ...
, with the following motivation:
Mayorga is a playwright. His work has crossed national boundaries to become established in major European theatres. A regular collaborator with theatre companies such as ''Animalario'', he has also worked as an adaptor and dramatist for the
Centro Dramático Nacional
The Centro Dramático Nacional ("National Drama Centre" or CDN) is a 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 metro ...
and the ''Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clasíco''. When Mayorga writes his plays he “hears” the reaction of the audience. His plays question the audience, inviting them to adopt a position. The reader/spectator is always asked to “re-create” the meaning (or a meaning) of what happens on stage. This is not a provocation by the author but the audience’s judgement surfacing as the play unfolds. His plays have been shown in 18 countries and translated into 16 languages.
He won the 2022
Princess of Asturias Award
The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...