José Augusto Trinidad Martínez Ruiz, better known by his
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
Azorín (; 8 June 1873 – 2 March 1967), was a Spanish
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
, essayist and
literary critic.
Biography
José Martínez Ruiz was born in the village of
Monòver, Spain in the province of
Alicante
Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean port. The population ...
on 8 June 1873.
The outbreak of the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...
saw him re-adopt his old progressive political ideals. He abandoned the conservative ''
ABC'' newspaper to write for the republican newspapers ''
El Sol'', ''La Libertad'' and ''Ahora''. He edited ''
Revista de Occidente'', founded by
José Ortega y Gasset, a journal promoting European philosophy, from 1923 to 1936.
When he returned to Spain after the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, he found himself in "inner exile", along with other intellectuals who had not overtly supported the
Franco regime during the conflict. He was at first denied a press identification card (''tarjeta de periodista''), but was supported by
Ramón Serrano Suñer, at that time Franco's Interior Minister and president of the
Falange. Accepting Franco’s regime was the price he had to pay in order to be admitted back, and he aligned with the dictatorship in a noted article in the right-wing journal ''Vértice''.
In his old age, Azorín became a film enthusiast, writing numerous articles, some of which are reprinted in ''El cine y el momento'', and claiming that "Cinema is the greatest form of art". He died in
Madrid, Spain
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
on 2 March 1967, at the age of 93.
Honors
* 1917, Hijo Predilecto de Monòver.
*1924, Elected to the
Royal Spanish Academy
The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...
* 1946, Grand Cross of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic
* 1956, Grand Cross of the
Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise.
* 1969, His home in Monòver established as a museum
''Casa-Museo Azorín''
Publications
See also
*
List of essayists
*
List of Spanish writers
*
List of Spanish-language authors
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
*
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1873 births
1967 deaths
People from Vinalopó Mitjà
Spanish male writers
Members of the Royal Spanish Academy
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
University of Salamanca alumni
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