Ángel Valbuena Prat (16 May 1900 – 2 January 1977) was a Spanish

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

Biography

Born in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

, he studied at the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

, and later became an assistant professor at the Central University of Madrid. His doctoral thesis, ''Los Autos Sacramentales de Calderón'', earned him various awards. After a tour of various university centers (

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), finally, perhaps as a punishment for his political attitudes of Catalan regionalist nature, he was transferred to the

University of Murcia The University of Murcia () is the primary institute of higher education in Murcia, Spain. With a student population of approximately 38,000, it is the largest university in the Region of Murcia. Founded in 1272 AD, the University of Murcia is ...

, where he remained for more than twenty five years. His fundamental work is his ''History of

Spanish Literature Spanish literature is literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects with that of other ...

'' (''Historia de la literatura española''), published for the first time in 1937. Many critics pointed out the work's novelty,Pozuelo Yvancos, José María (coord.) (2000): ''Ángel Valbuena Prat y la historiografía literaria española'', monográfico de la revista ''Monteagudo'', Universidad de Murcia, 3.ª época, n.º 5 and the work was reissued up to eight times, the last one of which in 1968, with each edition being re-edited. Thus, this work made Valbuena Prat one of the most prestigious literary historians of the postwar period. Valbuena Prat went one to become one of the greatest Spanish historians of theater. In addition to this work, Valbuena Prat published numerous studies on Spanish literature throughout his career, among which ''Algunos aspectos de la moderna poesía canaria'' (1926), ''Calderón: su personalidad, su arte dramático, su estilo y sus obras'' (1941), ''Historia del teatro español'' (1956) and ''Estudios de literatura religiosa española: época medieval y edad de oro'' (1963), as well as multiple editions of ''

autos sacramentales Autos sacramentales ( Spanish ''auto'', "act" or "ordinance"; ''sacramental'', "sacramental, pertaining to a sacrament") are a form of dramatic literature which is unique to Spain and Hispanic America, though in some respects similar in character to ...

'' and

comedies Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Gr ...

Pedro Calderón de la Barca Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (17 January 160025 May 1681) (, ; ) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished Spanish Baroque literature, poets and ...

, who had been the subject of his doctoral thesis. He also wrote novels, ''Teófilo'' (1926) and ''2+4'' (1927), and poetry books such as ''Dios sobre la muerte'' (1939).

Major works

Literary Studies

*"The

Mystery Play Mystery plays and miracle plays (they are distinguished as two different forms although the terms are often used interchangeably) are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the represe ...

s of Calderón", PhD *"History of

", 1937-1968 *"Some Aspects of Modern Canary Poetry", 1926 *" Calderon: His Personality, His

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

, His Style and His Works", 1941 *"History of Spanish

Theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

", 1956 *"Studies of Spanish Religious Literature: Medieval and Golden Age", 1963

Novels

*''Teófilo'', 1926 *''2+4'', 1927

Poetry

*''Dios sobre la muerte'', 1939

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valbuena Prat Writers from Catalonia 1900 births 1977 deaths Academic staff of the University of Barcelona 20th-century Spanish historians