El tío de Alcalá (1906) zarzuela, portada

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 ...

''. Chicago:

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article ...

, 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, 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 Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...

, the social dramas of Carlos Arniches were among the relatively non-controversial plays allowed by the new government.Vilches de Frutos 1999, p. 513

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