Carlos Arniches Barreda (11 October 1866 – 16 April 1943)
["Arniches (y Barrera), Carlos" in '']The New Encyclopædia Britannica
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 577. was a Spanish playwright, born in Alicante. His prolific work, drawing on the traditions of the
género chico
Género chico (literally, "little genre") is a Spanish genre of short, light plays with music. It is a major branch of ''zarzuela'', Spain's form of popular music theatre with dialogue, and differs from ''zarzuela grande'' and most other operatic f ...
, the
zarzuela
() is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...
and the
grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
, came to dominate the Spanish comic theatre in the early twentieth century.
After starting his career as a novelist and journalist, Arniches turned to theatre in 1888 with the publication of his first play, ''Casa editorial''. Much of his work is set in lower-class Madrid and uses colloquial language, song, dance and music.
Arniches was complimented in a 1935 interview by
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...
, often a scathing critic of contemporary Spanish theatre, as 'more of a poet than almost any of those who are writing theatre in verse at the moment'.
Following the end of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, the social dramas of Carlos Arniches were among the relatively non-controversial plays allowed by the
new government.
[Vilches de Frutos 1999, p. 513]
Notes
References
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Further reading
* Falska, Maria. ''El universo dramático de Carlos Arniches: Aproximación a una lectura estructural del texto'', UMCS, 2006, .
1866 births
1943 deaths
Spanish dramatists and playwrights
Spanish male dramatists and playwrights
Spanish male comedians
People from Alicante
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