Antonio García Gutiérrez (4 October 1813 – 26 August 1884) was a Spanish Romantic

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

Biography

After having studied medicine in his native town, García Gutiérrez moved to Madrid in 1833 and earned a meager living by translating plays of

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of man ...

and

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

. Lacking success, he was on the point of enlisting when he suddenly sprang into fame as the author of a play called '' El trovador'' (''The

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

''), which was played for the first time on 1 March 1836. His next great success was ''Simón Bocanegra'', in 1843. His ''Poesías'' (1840) and another volume of lyrics, ''Luz y tinieblas'' (1842), are comparatively minor, but the versification of his plays, and his power of analysing feminine emotions, have given García Gutiérrez a leading position among the Spanish dramatists of the 19th century. Although recognized as one of the leaders of the Romantic movement in Spain, his plays were not immediately lucrative, and García Gutiérrez emigrated to

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

, working as a journalist in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, until 1850, when he returned to Spain. After his return to Spain in 1850, however, García Gutiérrez became known all over Europe through

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

's opera '' Il trovatore'' (1853), adapted from '' El trovador''. Verdi then adapted ''Simón Bocanegra'' into the opera '' Simon Boccanegra'' (1857). The best works of his later period are a ''

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 o ...

'' titled ''El grumete'' (1853), ''La venganza catalana'' (1864), and ''Juan Lorenzo'' (1865). García Gutiérrez became head of the archaeological museum at Madrid, the city where he died.

References

External links

* *
Webber, Christopher, "Antonio García Gutiérrez" on ''Zarzuela.net''. The biography page focusses on his zarzuela libretti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Gutierrez, Antonio 1813 births 1884 deaths People from Chiclana de la Frontera Romantic theatre Spanish male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Spanish poets 19th-century Spanish male writers Members of the Royal Spanish Academy 19th-century Spanish journalists Spanish male journalists Spanish male poets 19th-century Spanish dramatists and playwrights