Major Figures in Spanish Culture

Jonathan Thacker, the King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies and a Fellow of Exeter College at the University of Oxford, discusses Lope de Vega (1562–1635), a playwright and poet who played a crucial role in Spanish literature during the Golden Age. He was a contemporary of Cervantes and Shakespeare, and he authored as many as 800 plays and numerous poems, making substantial contributions to the evolution of Spanish theater through works such as 'Fuente Ovejuna' and 'El castigo sin venganza'.  BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS ABOUT LOPE DE VEGA Dixon, Victor, "Lope Félix de Vega Carpio”, 'The Cambridge History of Spanish Literature', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 251-264.  García Reidy, Alejandro, 'Las musas rameras: oficio dramático y conciencia profesional en Lope de Vega', Madrid/Frankfurt, Iberoamericana/Vervuert, 2013.  García Santo-Tomás, Enrique, 'La creación del “Fénix”: Recepción crítica y formación canónica del teatro de Lope de Vega', Madrid, Gredos, 2000. McKendrick, Melveena, 'Theatre in Spain, 1490–1700', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1989.  Samson, Alexander and Thacker, Jonathan, 'A Companion to Lope de Vega', Woodbridge, Tamesis, 2008. Sánchez Jiménez, Antonio, 'Lope: el verso y la vida', Madrid, Cátedra, 2018. Thacker, Jonathan, 'A Companion to Golden Age Theatre', Woodbridge, Tamesis, 2007. 

Michael Christoforidis, a Professor of Musicology at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, discusses Manuel de Falla (1876–1946), a pivotal figure in Spanish culture during the Silver Age and arguably one of Spain's most renowned composers. He achieved widespread recognition in a country more famous for its literary and visual artists. Falla's music effectively bridged Spanish and French influences, highlighting modernity while preserving a profound connection to Spanish culture, evident in works such as 'La vida breve,' 'Noches en los jardines de España,' and 'El retablo de Maese Pedro.'BOOKS ABOUT MANUEL DE FALLAChristoforidis, Michael, 'Manuel de Falla and Visions of Spanish Music'. London-New York, Routledge, 2018.

Catherine Davies, emérita professor of Hispanic and Latin American Studies at the University of London, talks about Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), one of Spain’s finest lyrical poets, certainly the most loved and admired of the nineteenth century. Rosalía de Castro ushered in a new era of modern poetry in Spain, and left an enduring legacy in Spanish literature. She was, as well, a passionate supporter of Galician culture, environmental protection, and marginalized communities. BOOKS ABOUT ROSALÍA DE CASTRO Davies, Catherine, 'Rosalía de Castro: no seu tempo', Vigo, Galaxia, 1987. Davies, Catherine, 'Rosalía de Castro e Follas novas', translation by Leandro García Bugarín, Vigo, Galaxia, 1990. 

Federico García Lorca is Spain’s best known and perhaps most beloved poet of the 20th century. Born in 1898, Lorca formed friendships in Madrid with a pleiade of young creators in the 1920s at the Residencia de Estudiantes, al of whom would become very influential in Spanish culture. He was killed by Nacionalist forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War when he was only 38 years old. Christopher Maurer, professor or Spanish at Boston University introduces in this podcast this major figure in Spanish culture. Recording of Federico García Lorca’s ‘Pensamiento poético’ by Michael Alec Rose.Books and publications about Federico García LorcaHernández, Mario, Line of Light and Shadow. The Drawings of Federico García Lorca, Madrid, Tabapress-Fundación Federico García Lorca, 1990.Roberts, Stephen, Deep Song. The Life and Work of Federico García Lorca, London, Reaktion Books, 2020.Stainton, Leslie, Lorca. A Dream of Life, New York, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1999.Books and publications by Federico García LorcaPoetryCollected Poems, 2nd bilingual edition, revised. edition by Christopher Maurer, translation by Catherine Brown, Cola Franzen, Will Kirkland, William Bryant Logan, Robert Nasatir, Jerome Rothenberg, Greg Simon, & Steven F. White and Alan S. Trueblood, New York, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2013.Poet in Spain, translation by Sarah Arvio, New York, Knopf, 2017.Poet in New York, revised bilingual edition, translation by Greg Simon and Steven F. White. New York, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2013.Gypsy Ballads, translation by Jane Duran and Gloria García Lora, London, Enitharmon Editions, 2011.Sonnets of Dark Love/The Tamarit Divan, translation by Jane Duran and Gloria García Lorca, London, Enitharmon Editions, 2016.LecturesDeep Song and Other Prose, translation by Christopher Maurer, New York, New Directions, 1981.In Search of Duende, translation by Norman di Giovanni, Edwin Honig, Langston Hughes, Lysander Kemp, C. Maurer, W.S. Merwin, Stephen Spender and J.L. Gili, New York: New Directions, 1998.LettersSelected Letters, translation by David Gershator, New York, New Directions, 1984.Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí. Sebastian’s Arrows. Letters and Mementos, translation by Christopher Maurer, Chicago, Swan Isle Press, 2004