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Person - Benavente, Jacinto (1866-1954)

Benavente, Jacinto (1866-1954)

Identification

Type:

Person

Preferred form:

Benavente, Jacinto (1866-1954)Other forms

Dates of existence/Biographical dates:

Madrid (España) 1866 - Galapagar (Madrid, España) 1954

History:

Jacinto Benavente was born in Madrid on 12th August, 1866, and died on 14th July, 1954. He was the son of the notable paediatrician Mariano Benavente, fact usually linked with the interest he showed for childhood in his book “Niños” (1917) and in his children’s theatre plays. He began his Law degree at the Central University of Madrid, but when his father died in 1885, he abandoned his studies to dedicate himself to his great fondness; literature, especially the theatre. This enthusiasm arose when he was pretty young and, together with his siblings, they built a small theatre where they would represent plays from the Spanish classic theatre. In fact, he was a circus businessman for some time, among other occupations related with the show business. He joined the Royal Spanish Academy in 1912. In 1918, he took a seat at the Spanish Congress of Deputies and, in 1947, assumed the charge of honorary president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, as well as of president of the “Asociación de Escritores y Autores” (Association of Writers and Authors) from 1948 to 1954. He won prestigious awards; the most important was the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1922, which was granted to him when he was on his way to Chile with the company Lola Membrives, one of his inseparable friends. Two years later he was awarded with the prize Gran Cruz de Alfonso X el Sabio and, in 1950, the Medal for Work Merit. The value of his extensive work lies in the introduction of European and modern referents in the Spanish theatre. Benavente, as he was connoisseur of authors such as G. D Annunzio, Oscar Wilde, M. Maeterlinck, H. Ibsen and B. Shaw, successfully incorporated influences that highlighted his theatre’s qualities, making it agile and dynamic, as well as with a mocking and satiric spirit, like in "Gente conocida" (1896), "La comida de las fieras" (1898) and "La noche del sábado" (1903). Together with this contemporary authors, the admiration and influence of William Shakespeare in the theatre of Jacinto Benavente is undeniable, in fact there were several works dedicated to the author and his characters: he translated, in 1911, “King Lear” and, in 1922, "Love Story: A Fantastic Comedy". His most representative and successful work was: "Los intereses creados" (1907). He presents in it a sharp satire of the business world. Another aspect encouraged by the author was the rural drama, found in works such as "Señora Ama" (1908) or "La malquerida" (1913). Jacinto Benavente died in Galapagar, Madrid, on the 14th July, 1954, leaving a legacy of more than 170 works.