Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and poet. He was born in

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

and settled in France in 1955. Regarding his nationality, Arrabal describes himself as "desterrado", or "half-

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, half-

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

d". Arrabal has directed seven full-length feature films and has published over 100 plays; 14 novels; 800 poetry collections, chapbooks, and

artists' books Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects. Overview Artists' books have employed a ...

; several essays; and his notorious "Letter to General Franco" during the dictator's lifetime. His complete plays have been published, in multiple languages, in a two-volume edition totaling over two thousand pages. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' theatre critic

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

has called Arrabal the last survivor among the "three avatars of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

". In 1962, Arrabal co-founded the

Panic Movement Panic Movement (''Mouvement panique'') was an art collective formed by Fernando Arrabal, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Roland Topor in Paris in 1962. Inspired by and named after the god Pan, and influenced by Luis Buñuel and Antonin Artaud's Theat ...

with Alejandro Jodorowsky and

Roland Topor Roland Topor (7 January 1938 – 16 April 1997) was a French illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, painter, novelist, playwright, film and TV writer, filmmaker and actor, who was known for the surreal nature of his work. He was of Polish-Jewis ...

, inspired by the god Pan. He was elected Transcendent Satrap of the Collège de Pataphysique in 1990. Forty other Transcendent Satraps have been elected over the past half-century, including

Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, , ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso ...

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, although his t ...

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sulliva ...

, Dario Fo, Umberto Eco, and

Jean Baudrillard Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as w ...

. Arrabal spent three years as a member of

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...

's surrealist group and was a friend of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

and

Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...

. Writer and critic Javier Villan wrote of Arrabal:

Childhood (1932–1946)

Arrabal (Terán is his second family name) was born to Carmen Terán González and painter Fernando Arrabal Ruiz. On July 17, 1936, when insurrections within the military were staged against the constitutional government of the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

, launching 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 ...

, Arrabal's father remained faithful to the Republic and was sentenced to death for

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...

. His sentence was later commuted to 30 years’ imprisonment. He was transferred between prisons, from Santi Espiritu in Melilla to Monte Hacho in

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

, where he attempted suicide, as well as Ciudad Rodrigo and

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

. On December 4, 1941, he was sent to the Burgos Hospital due to apparent

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. Later research has found that he likely feigned mental order in order to be transferred to a lower security prison. On December 29, 1941, he escaped from the hospital in his pajamas, despite three feet of snow covering the countryside. Despite extensive research, he was never seen again. About his father, Arrabal has written: “Without trying to compare what is incomparable, when I confront these twilight episodes (and quite often without any logical connection), I often think of that scapegoat, my father. The day on which the Uncivil War began, he was locked up by his 'compassionate companions' in the flag room of the Melilla military barracks. He was meant to think carefully, since he risked a death sentence for mutiny if he did not join them in their insurrection (alzamiento). After an hour, Lieutenant Fernando Arrabal summoned his ex-comrades – already! – to inform them that he had pondered long enough. Today, because of this precedent, must I serve as witness, example, or symbol, as he did, of the most fundamental occurrences? I, who am a mere exile. If I am taken away from my beloved numerics, everything around me leads to over-the-counter confusion and disorder. I have no wish to be a scapegoat like my father, I only ask to die while still living, whenever Pan so wishes.” In 1936, Arrabal's mother returned to Ciudad Rodrigo with her young son, Fernando, and found a job at Burgos, then-capitol of the Nationalists and headquarters of General Franco's government. Fernando was enrolled in a local

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

school from 1937 until 1940, when the Civil War ended and he moved with his mother to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. Arrabal was awarded the national prize for gifted children in 1941. He continued his studies at Las Escuelas Pías de San Antón, a church school whose alumni have also included

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

and Jacinto Benavente y Martínez. Arrabal later studied at another distinguished Madrid school, Colegio Padres Escolapios De Getafe. He was an avid reader and was eager to experience life.

Youth and young adulthood (1946–1956)

In 1947, when his mother ordered him to attend preparatory classes for entrance to the

Academia General Militar The General Military Academy (in Spanish: Academia General Militar) is a higher training center of the Spanish Army, responsible for the initial training for officers of the Arms and Corps of the Army, and for the officers of the Civil Guard. It ...

, Arrabal protested by playing hooky. She subsequently sent him to Tolosa (

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa (, , ; es, Guipúzcoa ; french: Guipuscoa) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French depa ...

), where he studied business at the Escuela Teórico-Práctica de la Industria y el Comercio del Papel, in 1949. By 1950, he had begun writing several plays, which remain unpublished. In 1951, Arrabal began working in the paper industry at La Papelera Española. He moved to

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

and passed his bachillerato, the first non-compulsory educational option in Spain for admission to university. He later moved to Madrid and began legal studies. During these years, he frequented the cultural institution

Ateneo de Madrid The Ateneo de Madrid ("Athenæum of Madrid") is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain that was founded in 1835. Its full name is ''Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid'' ("Scientific, Literary and Artistic ...

and heard poets from the Postismo school. He was also finishing his early play ''Picnic,'' then titled ''The Soldiers'', and writing ''El triciclo'', at first titled ''Men with a Tricycle''. In 1954, Arrabal hitchhiked to Paris to attend a performance of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

’s ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

'' given by the touring Berliner Ensemble. Later that year, in Madrid, he met Luce Moreau, who became his wife. In 1955, he was awarded a three-month scholarship to study in Paris, during which time he lived at the Colegio de España at the

Cité Universitaire Cité may refer to: Places * Cité (Paris Métro), the metro station on the ''Île de la Cité'' * Cité (Quebec), type of municipality in Quebec * Citadel, the historical centre of an old city, originally fortified * Housing estate, a group of ho ...

. While in Paris he suffered a serious relapse of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. He considered this disease to be a "lucky mishap" that allowed him to move permanently to his "veritable homeland, that of Kundera and Vives, Saint Ignatius of Loyola and

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

: exile." In 1976 he appeared in Rosa von Praunheim's

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

film ''

Underground and Emigrants Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

''.

Politics

Arrabal had been known for being anti- Francoist and anti-monarchist and interested in

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

trends in cultural production.Javier Villán, ''El Mundo'' May 18, 2010
Lo de Arrabal es algo muy serio
Arrabal had a complicated relationship with Communism. He had ties with the Communist Party of Spain during his exile, but a rupture seems to have occurred in 1977 due to a conflict with his play ''

The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria ''The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' (french: L'Architecte et l'Empereur d'Assyrie) is a 1967 play by Fernando Arrabal Fernando Arrabal Terán (born August 11, 1932) is a Spanish playwright, screenwriter, film director, novelist, and ...

'' being performed in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

with artists reputed to have Communist Party ties.

Awards and recognition

Arrabal was among the more controversial writers of his time, and his work has been recognized internationally. Awards include the Grand Prize for Theatre of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, the Premio Mariano de Cavia for journalism, the Nabokov Prize for novels, the Espasa Prize for essays, and the World Theater Prize. In 2001, he was nominated for the

Premio Cervantes The Miguel de Cervantes Prize ( es, Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes) is awarded annually to honour the lifetime achievement of an outstanding writer in the Spanish language. History The prize was established in 1975 ...

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

winner

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literat ...

and

José Hierro José Hierro del Real (born 3 April 1922 in Madrid, Spain – died 21 December 2002 in Madrid, Spain), sometimes colloquially called Pepe Hierro, was a Spanish poet. He belonged to the so-called postwar generation, within the rootless and exis ...

. He was reportedly a finalist for the Nobel Prize in 2005 due to the solicitation of several institutions and individuals. On July 14, 2005, he was named to France's

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. In 2007, he was awarded a doctorate of letters Honoris Causa by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. His other awards and recognition include: *2019: Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise, March 1, 2019 *2010: Premier Prix International Théâtre du Millénaire *2008: **Hijo adoptivo de Ciudad Rodrigo (Spain) **Ciudadano de honor, Erlanger (Germany) ** Fronteira do Pensamento with

Bob Wilson Bob Wilson may refer to: Association footballers *Bob Wilson (footballer, born 1867) (1867–?), Irish international footballer of the 1880s * Bob Wilson (footballer, born September 1898) 1920s, Scottish footballer with Third Lanark and Fall R ...

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, and Bernard Henri Levy (

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...

, Brazil) *2007: **Prix Spinoza (Festival Teranova) **Doctorate of letters Honoris Causa (Thessaloniki, Greece) **Max de Honor, Teatro (Spain) **Prix Pasolini, cinéma (París) *2006: **Gran Prix d’Interprétation (Festival de Quend, film: ''Avida'') **Citoyen d’honneur de Spa (Belgium) **Clés de la ville de Fontenay (France) *2005: **

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

, July 14, 2005 ** Checa Association of Film Directors Prize, René Char Gold Medal,

Avignon Festival The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

* 2004 ** First Panic Award, International Book Fair (

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

) ** Francisco de Vitoria Prize (Puerto Rico) **Wittgenstein Prize ( University of Murcia, Spain) *2003 **

National Prize for Literature A National Prize for Literature ( es, Premio Nacional de Literatura) is a kind of award offered by various countries. Examples include: * National Prize for Literature (Argentina) * National Literary Awards, Burma * National Prize for Literature ( ...

(Spain) ** Gold Medal of San Fando (Buenos Aires) * 2002: Gold Medal of the City of Avignon * 2001:

Premio Nacional de Teatro The National Theater Award ( es, Premio Nacional de Teatro, links=no) is a cultural prize that is awarded annually by the Spanish Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Al ...

(Spain) * 2000:

(Spain) *1999: Alessandro Manzoni Poetry Prize (Italy) * 1998: Prize of the Society of Authors (France) * 1995: Officer of Arts and Letters (France) * 1993: Theatre Prize of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

* 1990: elected to honorary title of Transcendent Satrape of the Collège de ’Pataphysique; group founded in 1948 in homage to French author

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896). He also coined the term and philosophical concept of 'pataphysics. Jarry was born in Laval, Mayenne, France, ...

, has named previous Transcendent Satrapes including:

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what ...

, Max Ernst,

M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for most of his life neglected in t ...

Michel Leiris Julien Michel Leiris (; 20 April 1901 in Paris – 30 September 1990 in Saint-Hilaire, Essonne) was a French surrealist writer and ethnographer. Part of the Surrealist group in Paris, Leiris became a key member of the College of Sociology with G ...

, The Marx Brothers,

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

Raymond Queneau Raymond Queneau (; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo ('' Ouvroir de littérature potentielle''), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau wa ...

, and

; after Arrabal received this title, other Transcendent Satrapes have been named, including:

, Umberto Eco, and Dario Fo * 1986: Fine Arts Gold Medal of the Ministry of Culture (Spain) * 1983:

Chevalier of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and letters, Arts and Letters) is an Order (distinction), order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Ministry of Culture (France), Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the w ...

(France) * 1982:

Nadal Prize Premio Nadal is a Spanish literary prize awarded annually by the publishing house Ediciones Destino, part of Planeta Group, Planeta. It has been awarded every year on 6 January since 1944. The Josep Pla Award for Catalan literature is given at the ...

for ''La torre herida por el rayo'' * 1976:

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

for Theater (New York) * 1965 Lugné-Poë Theatre Prize (France) * 1959: Ford Foundation Award with Italo Calvino, Hugo Claus, Charles Tomlinson,

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Da ...

, and

Robert Pinget Robert Pinget (Geneva, July 19, 1919 – August 25, 1997, Tours) was an avant-garde French writer, born in Switzerland, who wrote several novels and other prose pieces that drew comparison to Beckett and other major Modernist writers. He was al ...

(New York)

Selected works

Feature-length films

Arrabal has written and directed seven feature-length films, and has been awarded the Premio Pier Paolo Pasolini for his contributions to cinema. * 1971: '' Viva la muerte''; co-produced by Isabel-Films (Paris) and S.A.T.P.E.C. (Tunis); starring Nuria Espert, Ivan Henriques, and

Anouk Ferjac Anouk Ferjac (born 25 May 1932) is a French actress. She has appeared in 100 films and television shows between 1946 and 2000. Selected filmography * ''Scandal on the Champs-Élysées'' (1949) * ''Justice Is Done'' (1950) * '' Without Trumpet ...

* 1973: '' J'irai comme un cheval fou''; produced by Société Générale de Production – Babylone Films; starring Emmanuelle Riva, Hachemi Marzouk, and George Shannon * 1975: ''L'arbre de Guernica''; produced by C.V.C. Communication, Federico Mueller, and Harry N. Blum; starring

Mariangela Melato Mariangela Melato (19 September 1941 – 11 January 2013) was an Italian cinema and theater actress. She began her stage career in the 1960s. Her first film role was in ''Thomas e gli indemoniati'' (1969), directed by Pupi Avati. She played in ma ...

and Ron Faber * 1982: ''The Emperor of Peru'' (also released as ''Odyssey of the Pacific'' and ''Treasure Train''); produced by Babylone Films; starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

and Monique Leclerc * 1983: ''Le cimetière des voitures''; television film; co-produced by

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 Ap ...

and Babylone Films; starring Alain Bashung and Juliette Berto * 1992: ''Adieu, Babylone!''; produced by

– Cinecim; starring Lélia Fischer and

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

* 1998: ''Jorge Luis Borges: Una vida de poesía''; produced by Alphaville – Spirali (Italy); starring Lélia Fischer and Alessandro Atti In 2005, a 3- disc

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

of Arrabal's films was released by Cult Epics with ''Viva la muerte'', ''I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse'', and ''The Tree of Guernica''. Several of Arrabal's plays have been adapted for film, including ''Le grand cérémonial'', directed by Pierre-Alain Jolivet; ''El triciclo'', directed by

Luis Argueta Luis Argueta (born November 7, 1946) is a Guatemalan film director and producer. In 1988 he founded Morningside Movies, primarily producing TV commercials, including many for the Spanish speaking demographic. His 1994 film, '' El Silencio de Neto' ...

; ''El ladrón de sueños'', directed by Arroyo; ''Pique-nique'', directed by Louis Sénéchal; ''Guernica'', directed by

Peter Lilienthal Peter Lilienthal (born 27 November 1929) is a German film director, writer, actor and producer. His 1979 film ''David'' won the Golden Bear at the 29th Berlin International Film Festival. His 1984 film '' Das Autogramm'' was entered into the 34th ...

; and '' Fando y Lis'', directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. One critic wrote, "''Viva la muerte'' is an absolute masterpiece, one of the most astonishing I have seen in my lifetime" (André Pieyre de Mandiargues). Another, for

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

, wrote, "Arrabal is ferociously original" (John Parrack).

Amos Vogel Amos Vogel ( Vogelbaum; April 18, 1921 – April 24, 2012) was a New York City cineaste and curator. Biography Vogel was born in Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type ...

wrote, in the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

'', "An audacious, paroxistic, and artistically successful work".

Raymond Léopold Bruckberger Raymond Léopold Bruckberger (10 April 1907, in Murat – 4 January 1998, in Fribourg), was a French Dominican priest, ''Résistance'' member, writer, translator, screenwriter and director of Austrian heritage. He was elected member of the A ...

wrote, for ''

Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

'', "I prefer Arrabal to Fellini or

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

... he is to cinema what Rimbaud is to poetry."

Short films

* 1978: ''Sang et or''; produced by

; starring Edgar Rock and Joshua Watsky * 1990: ''Échecs et Mythe''; produced by

; starring Joël Lautier,

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-American actress, film director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, includi ...

, and Gabriel Matzneff * 1991: ''New York City!''; produced by

; starring

Tom O'Horgan Tom O'Horgan (May 3, 1924 – January 11, 2009) was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals ''Hair'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. During his ca ...

, Melvin Van Peebles, and Tom Bishop

Operas

Arrabal's opera ''Faustbal'' with music by

Leonardo Balada Leonardo Balada Ibáñez (born September 22, 1933) is a Catalan American classical composer, who is noted for his operas and orchestral works. Life Balada was born in Barcelona, Spain. After studying piano at the Conservatori Superior de Mús ...

premiered at the

Teatro Real de Madrid The Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) is an opera house in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Plaza de Oriente, opposite the Royal Palace, and known colloquially as ''El Real'', it is considered the top institution of the performing and musical arts in the c ...

on February 13, 2009, staged by the Comediants of Barcelona. Arrabal wrote of the opera, "Faustbal is a woman who, in the third millennium, is the reincarnation of Alfred Jarry's Doctor Faustroll, a new doctor Faust who asks God and Lucifer for words and prayers so that love and charity might be unified. Nothing can satisfy the hurricane of her scientific curiosity, nor calm the storms of her desires. A genius, very beautiful, and enriched by her transports and transfigurations, she vows a torrid love for her Amazon. She leaps between galaxies while the war to end all civilization rages, and moves through space at supersonic speed. Confronting her, Margarito, supreme leader of the armed forces, dons the armor of brutal, electronic repression. He is madly in love with Faustbal under the sky's cupola. He tries to possess her through the torrent of his tower, employing the services of Mephistopheles himself. Jesús López Cobos, music director of the Teatro Real de Madrid, will conduct the world premiere, which will be sung by sopranos Ana Ibarra and María Rodríguez. The mezzo-soprano Cecilia Diaz will sing the role of the Amazon, while tenors Gerhard Siegel and Eduardo Santamaría will be the two Margaritos, bass Stefano Palatchi will perform the role of God, and baritones Tomas Tomasson and Lauri Vasar will be Mephistopheles.” Four other operas with Arrabal's

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

s have been staged, and the author describes them as "always having been as complex, yet suffering from as few complexes, as did ''Faustbal''." They are: *''Apokaliptica'', music by

Milko Kelemen Milko Kelemen (30 March 1924 – 8 March 2018) was a Croatian composer. Life Milko Kelemen was born in Slatina, Croatia (then Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). He studied under Stjepan Šulek in Zagreb, under Olivier Messiaen in Paris ...

. *''L’opéra de la Bastille'', music by

Marcel Landowski Marcel François Paul Landowski (18 February 1915 – 23 December 1999) was a French composer, biographer and arts administrator. Biography Born at Pont-l'Abbé, Finistère, Brittany, he was the son of French sculptor Paul Landowski and gre ...

*''Picknick im Felde'', music by Constantinos Stylianou *''Guernica'', music by Ostfiend Busing In October 1985, Arrabal made his debut as an opera stage director at the Opéra Royal de Belgique, where he directed Manuel de Falla’s '' La vida breve'' and Enrique Granados’ ''Goyescas''. "Of course," Arrabal commented, "under my direction the onstage chorus was nude, or to be more precise, panically covered with clay.” In 1994,

Chamber Made Chamber Made, formerly known as Chamber Made Opera, is an Australian arts organisation based in Melbourne, creating work operating at the intersections of music, sound and contemporary performance. Formed in 1988 by theatre director and libretti ...

produced the opera of Arrabal's
The Two Executioners
', with libretto by Douglas Horton and music by David Chesworth. The opera ran for two seasons in Melbourne, 1994 and 1996 at the Malthouse Theatre. Australia's ''The Independent Monthly'' wrote, "Easily the most impressive and memorable piece of music theatre in 1994."

Novels

*''Baal Babylone'', 1959 (New York:

Grove Press Grove Press is an United States of America, American Imprint (trade name), publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it in ...

, 1960; Berlin: Luchterhand Literaturverlag, 1960; Milan: Lerici, 1960; Amsterdam:

De Bezige Bij De Bezige Bij ("the busy bee") is one of the most important literary publishing companies in the Netherlands. History The company was founded illegally in 1943, during the German occupation of the Netherlands by ; its first publication was a poem ...

, 1972) *''L'enterrement de la sardine'' (Julliard, 1961; ''The Burial of the Sardine'', London:

Calder and Boyars Calder Publications is a publisher of books. Since 1949, the company has published many books on all the arts, particularly subjects such as opera and painting, the theatre and critical and philosophical theory. Calder's authors have achieved ...

, 1966; ''El entierro de la sardina'', Barcelona: Destino, 1984) *''Fêtes et rites de la confusion'' (Madrid, Barcelona:

Alfaguara Alfaguara is a Spanish-language publishing house that serves markets in Latin America, Spain and the United States. It was founded by the Spanish writer and Nobel prize winner Camilo José Cela. History and profile Alfaguara was established in ...

, 1966; ''Riten und Feste der Konfusion'',

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

: Joseph Melzer, 1969) *''La Tour prends garde'' (Paris: Grasset, 1983; ''La torre herida por el rayo'', Barcelona: Destino, 1983; Destino libro, 1984; Círculo de Lectores, 1984; ''A Torre ferida pelo Raio'', Lisboa: Inquirito, 1982; ''Hohe Türme trifft der Blitz'', Colonia:

Kiepenheuer & Witsch Kiepenheuer & Witsch is a German publishing house, established in 1948 by Joseph C. Witsch and on behalf of Gustav Kiepenheuer (who was already terminally ill). The partners initially held respectively 30% and 40% of the company's share capita ...

, 1986; ''The Tower Struck by Lightning'', New York:

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

, 1988) *''La Reverdie'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois, 1985) *''La piedra iluminada'' (Barcelona:

Destino ''Destino'' is an animated short film released in 2003 by Walt Disney Animation Studios. ''Destino'' is unique in that its production originally began in 1945, 58 years before its eventual completion in 2003. The project was originally a collab ...

, 1985; ''The Compass Stone'', tr. Andrew Hurley, New York:

, 1987) *''La vierge rouge'' (Paris: Acropole, 1986; ''La virgen roja'', Barcelona: Seix Barral, 1987; ''A Virgen Vermelha'', Lisboa: Dom Quixote, 1987; ''A Virgen Vermelha'',

Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...

: Nova Frontera, 1988; ''Die rote Jungfrau'', Göttingen: Steidl, 1990; ''The Red Virgin'', New York, London:

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

, 2002) *''Como un paraíso de locos'' (2008)

Artists' books

Arrabal has made over 700 artists' books in collaboration with

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, René Magritte,

, Julius Baltazar,

Antonio Saura Antonio Saura Atarés (September 22, 1930 – July 22, 1998) was a Spanish artist and writer, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties whose work has marked several generations of artists and whose critical voice is ...

, Olivier O. Olivier, Maxime Godard,

Jean Cortot Jean Cortot (; 14 February 1925, in Alexandria, Egypt - 28 December 2018 in Paris, France), was a French painter, poet and illustrator. Biography A student of Othon Friesz, Corton was part of the Scale group which, from 1943 onwards was establ ...

, Jorge Camacho,

Ralph Gibson Ralph Gibson (born January 16, 1939) is an American art photographer best known for his photographic books. His images often incorporate fragments with erotic and mysterious undertones, building narrative meaning through contextualization and su ...

Enrico Baj Enrico Baj (October 31, 1924 – June 15, 2003)June 15 according to the Guardian, June 17 according to the-artists.org was an Italian artist and writer on art. Many of his works show an obsession with nuclear war. He created prints, sculptur ...

, Gustavo Charif,

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera (, ; born 1 April 1929) is a Czech writer who went into exile in France in 1975, becoming a naturalised French citizen in 1981. Kundera's Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, then conferred again in 2019. He "sees himself ...

, Michel Houellebecq and others. They include: *''L'odeur de Sainteté'' (Paris: Yves Rivière, 1975; with

; 2 copies) *''Cinq sonnets, cincq eaux-fortes'' (Paris: André Biren, 1980; with Balthazar; 80 copies) *''Sous le flux libertin'' (Paris: Robert et Lydie Dutrou, 1991; with

) *''Triptyque'' ( Cuenca: Menú, 2004; with Catherine Millet and Michel Houellebecq; 36 copies) *''Clitoris'' (2008 poem with 56 translations, including Czech by

)

Poetry

*''La pierre de la folie'' (Paris: Julliard, 1963) *''Cent sonnets'' (Saragossa: El Ultimo Parnaso, 1965) *''Humbles paradis'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois, 1985) *''Liberté couleur de femme ou Adieu Babylone, Poèmes cinématographiques'' (

Mortemart Mortemart (; oc, Mòrtamar) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following is a list of the 195 communes of the Haute-Vienn ...

: Rougerie, 1993) **''Arrabalesques – Lettres à Julius Baltazar'' (Mortemart: Rougerie) *''Diez poemas pánicos y un cuento'' ( Córdoba: Caja Sur y Rute, 1997) In 2015, some of Arrabal's poems were adapted with music by the band Seagoat Bones on their etude album ''Phonèmes''.

Plays

Arrabal has published over 100 plays in 19 volumes. His plays include, with translations noted: *1952 **''Le toit'' (unpublished) ** ''Le char de foin'' (unpublished) ** ''La blessure incurable'' (unpublished) *1958 **''Oraison'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 1: Orison, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London:

, 1962; ''Orazione, etc.'', Milan: Lerici, 1962) ** ''Les deux bourreaux'' (Paris: Julliard) (''The two executioners'' translated by Richard Howard, New York:

, 1960; ''Plays, Vol. 1: The Two Executioners, etc.'', translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1962; ''I due Carnefici, etc.'', Milan: Lerici, 1962) ** ''Fando et Lis'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 1: Fando and Lis, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1962) ** ''Le cimetière des voitures'' (Paris: Julliard) (''The Automobile Graveyard'' translated by Richard Howard, New York: Grove Press, 1960; ''Plays, Vol. 1: The Car Cemetery, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1962; ''Automobil Kirkegaarden'',

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

: Arena, 1964) *1961 **''Guernica'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 2: Guernica, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London, Calder and Boyars: 1967) ** ''Le labyrinthe'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 2: The Labyrinth, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London, Calder and Boyars: 1967) ** ''Le tricycle'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 2: The Tricycle, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1967; ''The Tricycle'' translated by David Herzberger, ''Modern International Drama'' 9.2, 1976, p. 65-91) ** ''Pique-nique en campagne'' (Paris: Julliard). (''Picnic on the Battlefield'' translated by James Hewitt, ''

Evergreen Review ''The Evergreen Review'' is a U.S.-based literary magazine. Its publisher is John Oakes and its editor-in-chief is Dale Peck. The ''Evergreen Review'' was founded by Barney Rosset, publisher of Grove Press. It existed in print from 1957 until 19 ...

'' 4.15, 1960, p. 76-90; ''Pic-nic, etc.'', Milan: Lerici, 1962; ''Plays, Vol. 2: Picnic on the Battlefield, etc.'', translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1967) ** ''La bicyclette du condamné'' (Paris: Julliard) (''Plays, Vol. 2: The Condemned Man's Bicycle, etc.'' translated by Barbara Wright, London: Calder and Boyars, 1967) *1965 **''Le grand cérémonial'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''Plays, Vol. 3: The Grand Ceremonial, etc.'' translated by Jean Benedetti; London: Calder and Boyars, 1970) ** ''Cérémonie pour un noir assassiné'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Cérémonie pour une chèvre et un nuage'' (Daily Bul) *1966 **''Le couronnement'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Concert dans un oeuf'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1967 **''L'architecte et l'empereur d'Assyrie'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''De Architekt en de Keiser van Assyrië'', Amsterdam: Uitgeverij de Bezige Bij, 1969; ''Plays, Vol. 3: The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' translated by Jean Benedetti, London: Calder and Boyars, 1970; ''The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' translated by Everard d'Harnoncourt and Adele Shank, New York: Grove Press, 1969; ''Der Architekt und der Kaiser von Assyrien'', Berlin:

, 1971; O ''Arquitecto e o Imperador da Assiria'',

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

: Desta, 1976) ** ''Les amours impossibles'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''Impossible Lovers, etc.'' translated by Bettina Knapp, ''

The Drama Review ''TDR: The Drama Review'' is an academic journal focusing on performances in their social, economic, aesthetic, and political contexts. The journal covers dance, theatre, music, performance art, visual art, popular entertainment, media, sports, r ...

'' 13, 1968, p. 71-86) ** ''Les quatre cubes'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La communion solennelle'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''First Communion'' translated by Michel Benedikt in ''Modern Spanish Theatre'', New York:

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American Publishing, book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton ( ...

, 1968, p. 309–317; ''Solemn Communion, etc.'' translated by Bettina Knapp, ''The Drama Review'' 13, 1968, p. 71-86; ''Plays, Vol. 3: The Solemn Communion, etc.'' translated by John Calder, London: Calder and Boyars, 1970) ** ''Streap-tease de la jalousie'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''Striptease of Jealousy, etc.'' translated by Bettina Knapp, ''The Drama Review'' 13, 1968, p. 71-86) ** ''La jeunesse illustrée'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Dieu est-il devenu fou?'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1968 **''Le jardin des délices'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''Garden of Delights'' translated by Helen Gary Bishop and Tom Bishop, New York: Grove Press, 1974) ** ''Bestialité érotique'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Une tortue nommée Dostoïevski'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Théâtre choisi'' (4 volumes en japonais) (Tokyo: Shichosha) *1969 **''...Et ils passèrent des menottes aux fleurs'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) (''And They Put Handcuffs on the Flowers'' translated by Charles Marowitz, New York: Grove Press, 1973) ** ''L'aurore rouge et noire'' (''Groupuscule de mon coeur''; ''Tous les parfums d'Arabie''; ''Sous les pavés la plage''; ''Les fillettes'') (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Le lai de Barrabas'' (Le couronnement) (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1970 **''Happening at the Théâtre Plaisance in Paris in February'' (Grand-Guignol) *1972 **''Ars Amandi'' (opéra "Panique") (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Dieu tenté par les mathématiques'' (opéra "Panique") (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Le ciel et la merde'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La grande revue du XXe siècle'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1975 **''Jeunes barbares d'aujourd'hui'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1976 **''La guerre de mille ans (Bella Ciao)'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Sur le fil ou la ballade du train fantôme'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1978 **''La tour de Babel (Oyez Patria mi affliccion)'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La marche royale'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Une orange sur le mont de Vénus'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La gloire en images'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Vole-moi un petit milliard'' (Théâtre Bouffe) (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Le pastaga des loufs ou Ouverture Orang-outan'' (Théâtre Bouffe) (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Punk et punk et colégram'' (Théâtre Bouffe) (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1979 **''Inquisición'' (

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

: Don Quijote) *1980 **''Mon doux royaume saccagé'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Le roi de Sodome'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Le ciel et la merde II'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1982 **''L'extravagante réussite de Jésus-Christ, Karl Marx et William Shakespeare'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Lève-toi et rêve'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1983 ** ''Le cheval-jument ou hommage à John Kennedy T.'' *1984 **''Les délices de la chair'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La ville dont le prince était une princesse'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1985 **''Bréviaire d'amour d'un haltérophile'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Apokalyptica'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La charge des centaures'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1988 **''Les "cucarachas" de Yale'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''Une pucelle pour un gorille'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La madonne rouge'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) ** ''La traversée de l'Empire'' (Paris: Christian Bourgois) *1989 **''L'extravagante croisade d'un révolutionnaire obese'' (

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

: Phi) *1990 **''La nuit est aussi un soleil'' ( Actes Sud) ** ''Roues d'infortune'' (Actes Sud) ** ''L'opéra de la Bastille'' (opéra écrit pour le bicentenaire de la Révolution française) *1992 **''Oeuvres Tome I (théâtre, poésie, roman)'' (Milan: Spirali – Vel) *1994 **''Lully'' (Actes Sud) ** ''Entends la nuit douce qui marche'' (Actes Sud) ** ''Le fou rire des liliputiens'' (Actes Sud) *1996 **''Comme un lis entre les épines'' (Actes Sud) *1997 **''Théâtre complet'' (7 volumes en langue coréenne) ( Séoul: Coréenne) *1999 **''Lettre d'amour'' (Actes Sud) ** ''Comme un supplice chinois'' (Actes Sud) ** ''Théâtre complet'' (2 volumes en langue espagnole) (

: Espasa) Arrabal's plays were frequently produced at

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...

in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City throughout the 1970s. Productions at La MaMa included: * ''The Two Executioners'' (1962) directed by Andy Milligan; Arrabal performed alongside Martine Barrat * ''Fando and Lis'' (1971) directed by Franz Marijnen * ''Dos Obras de Arrabal'' (1972) directed by Delfor Peralta * ''The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' (1976) directed by

* ''The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' (1977) directed by Tom O'Horgan * ''Dance/Theater of Richard S. Bach'' (1984) choreographed by Richard S. Bach A traveling company from La MaMa also took ''The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria'' on tour to Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Venezuela, and

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...

in 1977–1979. For a more extensive list of productions of Arrabal's plays, see his official website.

Paintings

* Arrabal has described himself as a "frustrated painter". He has produced approximately 50 canvases and 100 drawings and collages, which have been exhibited in museums such as the Paris Art Center, Musée de Bayeux, and the Villa San Carlo Borromeo Art Museum in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. * His approach to painting involves close collaboration with artists who produce large-format

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

s based on the detailed sketches he provides. * In 1962, his first painting was chosen for reproduction in the art publication ''La Brèche: Action Surréaliste Revue'' by its founding editor,

. * Arrabal has collaborated with sculptor and

video artist Video art is an art form which relies on using video technology as a visual and audio medium. Video art emerged during the late 1960s as new consumer video technology such as video tape recorders became available outside corporate broadcasting. ...

Christèle Jacob, with whom he has created a dozen videos and photomontage series, including ''Les artilleurs des échecs et de la littérature'' (The artillery corps of chess and literature), inspired by a 1909 artwork by Henri Rousseau.

Essays and non-fiction

*''Carta al General Franco'' (

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

Spanish-French edition, Paris: Bourgois, 1972, col. 10–18; Paris: Anonyme Anarchiste Pop, 1971; Buenos Aires: Granica, 1973; Noce: Babilonia, 1976; Barcelona: Actuales, 1978). *''Le Panique'' (Paris: Union Générale d'Edition, 1973). *''Sur Fischer: Initiation aux échecs'' (

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

: du Rocher, 1974; ''Fischer, le roi maudit'' evised edition Luxembourg: Phi, 1988). *''Carta a los militantes comunistas españoles'' (Sueño y mentira del eurocomunismo) (bilingual Spanish-French edition, Paris: Bourgois, 1978; Barcelona: Actuales, 1978; Acción directa, 1980). *''Les échecs féeriques et libertaires'' (articles from ''

L'Express ''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''. History ...

'') (Monaco: du Rocher, 1980). *''Carta a los comunistas españoles y otras cartas'' (Letters to Franco, to the King, etc.) ( Murcia: Godoy, 1981). *''Carta a Fidel Castro'' (Madrid: Playor, 1983; Mexico: Diana, 1984; Europa, América, Portugal, 1984). *''Echecs et mythe'' (Paris: Payot, 1984; ''Mitos em Xeque'', Río de Janeiro: Globo, 1988). *''Introducción a Feliciano de Silva'' (Cátedra, col. Letras Hispánicas, 1986). *''El Greco'' ( Steidl,

, 1991; ''El Greco'', Barcelona: Destino, 1991; ''El Greco'', London:

; New York:

–

, 1991; ''El Greco'', Milan: Spirali, 1991; ''El Greco: Le frénétique du spasme'', Paris: Flohic, 1991). *''Goya / Dalí'' (Milan: Spirali – Vel; Rome: Studio di Val Cervo, 1992). *''Fêtes et défaites sur l'échiquier'' (Paris: L'Archipel, 1992). *''Cartas a Baltazar'' (versión de F. Torres Monreal, 1993). *''Genios y figuras'' (preface by A. Berenguer, Espasa Calpe, 1993). *''Las manazas del Samaritano. Conversaciones con Ionesco'' (La Vuelta, nº 210, mayo, 1994). *''La dudosa luz del día'' (translated into Spanish from the original French with notes by F. Torres Monreal, Espasa Calpe, 1994). *''Carta al Rey de España'' (Madrid: Espasa Calpe, 1995). *''Un esclave nommé Cervantès'' (Paris: Plon, 1996; Un ''esclavo llamado Cervantes'', Madrid Espasa Calpe, 1996). *''Diccionario pánico'' (Bruxelles: Escritos, 1998). *''Lettre à Staline'' (Paris:

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...

, 2004). *''Houellebecq!'' (Paris: Le cherche midi, 2005). *''El Pánico,'' Manifiesto para el tercer milenio, 2007. *''Diccionario pánico'', 2008. *''Universos arrabalescos'', 2009. *''Defensa de Kundera'', 2009.

Interest in chess

Arrabal has a strong interest in

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

and has attended many

chess tournament A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition amo ...

s. He is close to American chess Grandmaster Gata Kamsky and advocated for Kamsky on his chess blog during Kamsky's negotiations with

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...

over a

World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has held the title since 2013. The first event recognized as a world championship was the World Chess ...

match.. For over thirty years, Arrabal has written a

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

on chess for the French weekly news magazine

L’Express ''L'Express'' () is a French weekly news magazine headquartered in Paris. The weekly stands at the political centre in the French media landscape, and has a lifestyle supplement, ''L'Express Styles'', and a job supplement, ''Réussir''. History ...

. His columns have included, among many others: *''Echecs et mythes'' *''Fêtes et défaites sur l'échiquier'' *''Les échecs féériques et libertaires'' *''

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 11� ...

: el rey maldito''

References

External links

Arrabal's website
excerpts, articles, interviews, videos on Prague Writers' Festival website
Fernando Arrabal's Cinématon: a 4 minute online portrait by Gérard CourantChess Express Arrabal
(Arrabal's chess blog) *
Arrabal's page on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
__FORCETOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Arrabal, Fernando 1932 births Living people People from Melilla 20th-century Spanish writers 20th-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish writers Escapees from Spanish detention Spanish experimental filmmakers Recipients of the Legion of Honour Pataphysicians Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish male dramatists and playwrights Spanish escapees Spanish film directors Spanish novelists Spanish male novelists Spanish writers in French Spanish surrealist artists Spanish surrealist writers