Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto

Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto
born Aug. 12, 1866, Madrid, Spain
died July 14, 1954, Madrid

Spanish dramatist.

His most celebrated work, The Bonds of Interest (1907), was based on the Italian commedia dell'arte; his 1913 tragedy La malquerida was also popular. During the Spanish Civil War he was detained by the authorities for a time, but he reestablished himself in official favour with Lo increíble (1941). One of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century, he continued to write until the end of his life, producing more than 150 plays. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922.

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▪ Spanish dramatist
born Aug. 12, 1866, Madrid, Spain
died July 14, 1954, Madrid

      one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922. He returned drama to reality by way of social criticism: declamatory verse giving way to prose, melodrama to comedy, formula to experience, impulsive action to dialogue and the play of minds. Benavente showed a preoccupation with aesthetics and later with ethics.

      The extent to which he broadened the scope of the theatre is shown by the range of his plays—e.g., Los intereses creados (performed 1903, published 1907; The Bonds of Interest, performed 1919), his most celebrated work, based on the Italian commedia dell'arte; Los malhechores del bien (performed 1905; The Evil Doers of Good); La noche del sábado (performed 1903; Saturday Night, performed 1926); and La malquerida (1913; “The Passion Flower”), a rural tragedy with the theme of incest. La malquerida was his most successful play in Spain and in North and South America. Señora Ama (1908), said to be his own favourite play, is an idyllic comedy set among the people of Castile.

      In 1928 his play Para el cielo y los altares (“Toward Heaven and the Altars”), prophesying the fall of the Spanish monarchy, was prohibited by the government. During the Spanish Civil War Benavente lived in Barcelona and Valencia and was for a time under arrest. In 1941 he reestablished himself in public favour with Lo increíble (“The Incredible”). His extraordinary productivity as a dramatist (he wrote more than 150 plays) recalled Spain's Golden Age and the prolific writer Lope de Vega. With the exception, however, of the harsh tragedy La infanzona (1948; “The Ancient Noblewoman”) and El lebrel del cielo (1952), inspired by Francis Thompson's poem “Hound of Heaven,” Benavente's later works did not add much to his fame.

Additional Reading
Marcelino C. Peñuelas, Jacinto Benavente, trans. from Spanish (1968), introduces Benavente's life and work.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto — (12 ago. 1866, Madrid, España–14 jul. 1954, Madrid). Dramaturgo español, miembro de la llamada Generación de 1898. Su obra más aclamada, Los intereses creados (1907), está inspirada en la comedia del arte italiana. Su tragedia de 1913, La… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Benavente y Martínez,Jacinto — Be·na·ven·te y Mar·tí·nez (bĕn ə vĕnʹtē ēmär tēʹnəs, bĕ nä vĕnʹtĕ ēmär tēʹnĕth), Jacinto. 1866 1954. Spanish playwright. He won the 1922 Nobel Prize for literature for his subtly satirical plays. * * * …   Universalium

  • Benavente (y Martínez) — [be΄nä ven′te ē mär tē′neth] Jacinto [hä thēn′tō̂] 1866 1954; Sp. playwright * * * …   Universalium

  • Benavente (y Martínez) — [be΄nä ven′te ē mär tē′neth] Jacinto [hä thēn′tō̂] 1866 1954; Sp. playwright …   English World dictionary

  • Benavente (y Martínez) — [be΄nä ven′te ē mär tē′neth] Jacinto [hä thēn′tō̂] 1866 1954; Sp. playwright …   English World dictionary

  • Benavente y Martínez — /be nah ven te ee mahrdd tee neth/, Jacinto /hah theen taw/, (Jacinto Benavente y Martínez) 1866 1954, Spanish dramatist: Nobel prize 1922. * * * …   Universalium

  • Benavente y Martínez — /be nah ven te ee mahrdd tee neth/, Jacinto /hah theen taw/, (Jacinto Benavente y Martínez) 1866 1954, Spanish dramatist: Nobel prize 1922 …   Useful english dictionary

  • Benavente y Martínez — biographical name Jacinto 1866 1954 Spanish dramatist …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Benavente y Martínez — Be•na•ven•te y Mar•tí•nez [[t]ˌbɛn əˈvɛn ti i mɑrˈti nɪz[/t]] n. big Jacinto, 1866–1954, Spanish playwright: Nobel prize 1922 …   From formal English to slang

  • Martínez — es un pueblo de Ávila. Esta situado a una altitud de 1098 m. Su superficie, abarca 18 Km²/1720 hectáreas. * * * (as used in expressions) Alicia Martínez Hoyo Benavente y Martínez, Jacinto Reginald Martínez Jackson Montañés, Juan (de) Martínez… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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