PARES | Spanish Archives

Identification

Type:

Person

Preferred form:

Cossío, Francisco de (1887-1975)Other forms

Dates of existence/Biographical dates:

Sepúlveda (Segovia, España) 1887-05-12 - Segovia (España) 1975

History:

Spanish writer, journalist and lawyer. Academician of Fine Arts. Married with Mercedes Corral García Mesanza, they were the parents of the Law professor Alfonso de Cossío Corral and of the writer Francisco de Cossío Corral.

Brother of the painter Mariano de Cossío and of the bullfighting critic José María de Cossío, creator of the “Tratado Técnico e Histórico Los Toros”, known as “El Cossío”.

He first studied at the School San José of Valladolid and continued with little enthusiasm the degree in Law at the faculty of the Castilian capital. Soon he showed his preference by the literary activity writing a short theatre play and then the novel “La Casa de los Linajes”.

He was member of the Academy of Fine Arts of La Purísima Concepción of Valladolid and San Fernando. Between 1919 and 1959 he directed the Museum of Sculpture of Valladolid, except in the dictatorial period of Primo de Rivera, when he was suspended of his position and confined to the Chafarinas Islands. Throughout this period, he recovered a considerable part of the processional historic patrimony of Valladolid, scattered after the processes of seizure of the 19th century. Great art expert, it is outstading his discourse about Berruguete at the act of appointment as academician of San Fernando.

During the thirties and forties of the 20th century, as a journalist, he was director of the Norte de Castilla, and later subdirector of the diary newspaper ABC of Madrid and collaborator of Diario Madrid. Prolific author, among his most notable novels are “Aurora y los hombres” and “Manolo”, he commended his younger son, killed in action during the Civil War. Shortly before dying he left us “Confesiones”, an incomplete chronicle of the Spain of his time.