Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
Encyclopedia
Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (June 13, 1910 – January 27, 1999) was a Spanish Galician
writer in Spanish language
. He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attending the universities of Santiago de Compostela
and Oviedo
.
Although primarily a novel
ist, he also published journalism, essays, and plays. His career as a writer began in Oviedo
, but developed largely in Madrid
.
After moving around frequently in the later 1920s and early 1930s, including a period in Paris
, he returned to Spain
and linked himself to Franco
's Falange
party in order to save his own life and that of his family. His first novel, Javier Mariño, appeared in 1943, and he continued to publish novels almost until his death, receiving major prizes for some of them.
Despite his affiliation to the Falangists, Torrente Ballester always promoted relatively leftist ideas, and from 1939, when he returned to Santiago to take up a university post, he increasingly distanced himself from the party. He joined in protests in favour of striking Asturian miners in 1962, and was expelled from his teaching post at the university as a result. In the mid-1960s he had a number of problems with government censors.
He left Spain for a post at the University at Albany, State University of New York in 1966, and remained there until 1973 as the University's first distinguished professor. In 1975 he moved to the city of Salamanca
, where he remained until his death. After his return to Spain
, he was increasingly celebrated: In 1975 he was elected member of the Real Academia Española
, and was awarded the premier Spanish literary prize, the Cervantes Prize, in 1985.
Immediately after his death a foundation was set up to protect, study and disseminate his work. The name of this foundation is Fundación Gonzalo Torrente Ballester.
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
writer in Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. He was born in Serantes, Ferrol, Galicia, and received his first education there, subsequently attending the universities of Santiago de Compostela
University of Santiago de Compostela
The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
and Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
.
Although primarily a novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, he also published journalism, essays, and plays. His career as a writer began in Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
, but developed largely in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
After moving around frequently in the later 1920s and early 1930s, including a period in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he returned to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and linked himself to Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's Falange
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
party in order to save his own life and that of his family. His first novel, Javier Mariño, appeared in 1943, and he continued to publish novels almost until his death, receiving major prizes for some of them.
Despite his affiliation to the Falangists, Torrente Ballester always promoted relatively leftist ideas, and from 1939, when he returned to Santiago to take up a university post, he increasingly distanced himself from the party. He joined in protests in favour of striking Asturian miners in 1962, and was expelled from his teaching post at the university as a result. In the mid-1960s he had a number of problems with government censors.
He left Spain for a post at the University at Albany, State University of New York in 1966, and remained there until 1973 as the University's first distinguished professor. In 1975 he moved to the city of Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, where he remained until his death. After his return to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he was increasingly celebrated: In 1975 he was elected member of the Real Academia Española
Real Academia Española
The Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, but is affiliated with national language academies in twenty-one other hispanophone nations through the Association of Spanish Language Academies...
, and was awarded the premier Spanish literary prize, the Cervantes Prize, in 1985.
Immediately after his death a foundation was set up to protect, study and disseminate his work. The name of this foundation is Fundación Gonzalo Torrente Ballester.
List of novels
- Javier Mariño (1943)
- El golpe de estado de Guadalupe Limón (1946)
- Ifigenia (1950)
- El Señor llega (1957) - Novel prize of the Fundación Juan March
- Donde da la vuelta el aire (1960)
- La Pascua triste (1962)
- Don Juan (1963)
- Off-Side (1968)
- La Saga/Fuga de J.B. (1972) - Critics' Prize and City of Barcelona Prize
- Fragmentos de Apocalipsis (1977)
- La isla de los jacintos cortados (1980) - National Literature Prize
- Dafne y ensueños (1982)
- Quizá nos lleve el viento al infinito (1984)
- La princesa durmiente va a la escuela (1985)
- La rosa de los vientos (1985)
- Yo no soy yo, evidentemente (1987)
- Filomeno, a mi pesar (1988) - Planet Prize
- Crónica del rey pasmado (1989)
- Las islas extraordinarias (1991)
- La muerte del decano (1992)
- La novela de Pepe Ansúrez (1994)
- La boda de Chon Recalde (1995)
- Los años indecisos (1997)
- Doménica (1999)
External links
- Official site giving biographical and bibliographical material about Torrente Ballester and a good collection of images.
- Torrente Ballester at Wikipedia in Spanish language giving biographical and bibliographical information.