Federico Garcia Lorea

Federico Garcia Lorca

Federico Garcia Lorca is a highly respected poet, writer and playwright and an important member of the so-called Generation of 27 (1927). Born in 1898, his life was cruelly cut short during the first days of the Spanish Civil War, when he was abducted by nationalist forces and executed. He always seemed to struggle with his talents and with being in the spotlight of the public, and his personal issues caused him great distress and even depression, especially regarding his homosexual tendencies during a very unaccepting period. During his early years he studied at the University of Granada though he later focused his attentions on the media and his theatrical productions.

He befriended Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel, who were both influencial surrealist artists and who would have a significant on his work and personal life. He released his first production named The butterflys evil spell, which was closed after four shows with a less than welcoming audience. The story line was the love between a cockroach and butterfly and raised a few eyebrows! Following this he was to be heavily involved in the Avant Garde movement, which included some the poetry like Canciones and Romancero Gitano in 1928. He was romantically involved with Dali during 1925-28, though faced crippling depression as he tried to come to terms with his homosexuality.

He later felt a real sense of alienation from his friends when Dali and Buñuel created their famous 16 minute film Un chien andalou. Lorca took it as a personal shot to him and the relationship he shared with Dali abruptly ended, after which his family ended up sending him to the United States. He studied in New York and later created the play The Public. One of his most famous pieces Blood wedding, which he wrote in 1933. Sadly his work wasnt available in Spain and even the censored versions were kept out of the public reach until 1953 due to the control of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who didn't show an appreciation for his work. As mentioned, he was executed in the first few days of the Civil War and ever since he has been honoured. There is a statue of him in Madrid's Plaza Santa Ana.

Some of his best work includes:

• Blood Wedding
• Comedia sin Titulo
• Amor de don Perlimplin con Belisa en su Jardin
• Los titeres de Cachiporra
• The House of Bernarda Alba