Miguel Delibes
Real Academia Española | |
---|---|
In office 25 May 1975[a] – 12 March 2010 | |
Preceded by | Julio Guillén Tato |
Succeeded by | Juan Gil Fernández |
Miguel Delibes Setién MML (Spanish pronunciation: [miˈɣel deˈliβes]; 17 October 1920 – 12 March 2010)[1] was a Spanish novelist, journalist and newspaper editor associated with the Generation of '36 movement. From 1975 until his death, he was a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, where he occupied letter "e" seat.[2] Educated in commerce, he began his career as a cartoonist and columnist. He later became the editor for the regional newspaper El Norte de Castilla before gradually devoting himself exclusively to writing novels.
He was a connoisseur of the flora and fauna of Castile and was passionate about hunting and the countryside. These were common themes in his writing, and he often wrote from the perspective of a city-dweller who remained connected with the rural world.
He was one of the leading figures of post-Civil War Spanish literature, winning numerous literary prizes. Several of his works have been adapted into plays or have been turned into films, winning awards at the Cannes Film Festival among others. He has been ranked with Heinrich Böll and Graham Greene as one of the most prominent Catholic writers of the second half of the twentieth century.[3] He was deeply affected by the death of his wife in 1974. In 1998 he was diagnosed with colon cancer, from which he never fully recovered. He died in 2010.
Biography
Early life and training
Miguel Delibes was born in Valladolid on 17 October 1920, the third of eight children from the marriage between María Setién and Adolfo Delibes. His father was born and died in the Cantabrian town Molledo, where Miguel spent many summers. The writer was named an adopted son of Valladolid in 2009.[4] The name Delibes was of French origin and came from Toulouse. Miguel's grandfather was the brother of the French composer Léo Delibes, and had moved to Spain to participate in the construction of the railway in Cantabria.[5] His father was a law professor at the Valladolid Business School.[6] Miguel attended the College of Our Lady of Lourdes in Valladolid. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he enlisted in the Navy on the Nationalist side. He served on the cruiser Canarias, which operated in the Mallorcan region.[6][7] At the end of the war in 1939, he returned to his home town, where he studied commerce and law. He then enrolled at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios (School of Arts and Crafts) of Valladolid, where he honed his artistic skills. In 1941 he secured a job as a cartoonist with the leading newspaper of Valladolid, El Norte de Castilla.[8]
On April 23, 1946, he married Ángeles de Castro, who later became one of his greatest literary inspirations.[9] They spent their honeymoon in Molledo, Cantabria.[10]
Early literary career
After his marriage, Delibes' literary career really started to take off, beginning a three-year period that defined his career. In 1947 he began writing his first novel, La sombra del ciprés es alargada (The cypress casts a long shadow), which won the Premio Nadal the following year, marking his emergence on the Spanish literary scene. His novel Aún es de día (It is still daytime) was published, heavily censored, in 1948.
His family grew during this same period. His son Miguel, who would later become a famous biologist, was born in 1947. His daughter Ángeles, who would also become a renowned biologist and researcher, was born the following year, and in 1949 his third child, Germán, was born.
In 1950, a new stage in the writer's literary career commenced. After suffering a bout of tuberculosis,[11] he published El camino (The road), his third novel. The novel tells the discovery of life and the experiences of a boy who moves from the countryside to the city. The work constituted his final consecration in the Spanish post-war narrative. That year saw the birth of his daughter Elisa, who later became a graduate of Hispanic and French Studies.[12]
In 1952, he was appointed deputy director of the newspaper El Norte de Castilla, and his battles with censorship became increasingly direct and frequent. The writer entered a new phase in his life in which he would publish a new work virtually every year, namely: Mi idolatrado hijo Sisí (My adored son Sissi) 1953, La partida (The departure) 1954, Diario de un cazador (Diary of a hunter) 1955, Premio Nacional de Narrativa (National Prize for Fiction), Un novelista descubre América (A novelist discovers America) 1956, Siestas con viento sur (Siestas with southern wind) 1957, Fastenrath Award, Diario de un emigrante (Diary of an emigrant) 1958, and La hoja roja (The red leaf), 1959. This last novel was existentialist in content and deals with a photographer who recalls his life on the brink of his retirement. In 1956, his son Juan Delibes was born. He would become a biologist like his siblings and fan of hunting and fishing like his father.[13] In 1958, the writer was appointed director of El Norte de Castilla.[14]
Literary apogee
The 1960s represented the heyday of Delibes' literary career. The period was marked by the birth of his sixth son, Adolfo (later a graduate in biology) and a visit to Germany, where he visited several universities. The literary period opened with the publication of Viejas historias de Castilla la Vieja (Old Tales of Old Castile) in 1960, and Por esos mundos (In these worlds) in 1961. Later in the 1970s, he followed up with several books about hunting, an activity about which he was passionate, and stories. Subsequently, he published Un año de mi vida (A Year of my Life), a personal diary.
On 1 February 1973, Miguel Delibes was elected to the Royal Spanish Academy, occupying chair "E", which was left vacant after the death of Julio Guillén.[2][18] That same year, in December, he was also elected to the Hispanic Society of America. Before the end of the year, he published El príncipe destronado (The dethroned prince), his eleventh novel.[19] On 22 November 1974 his wife, Angela de Castro, died at the age of 50. Her death profoundly marked the writer for the rest of his life.
Finally, on 25 May 1975, he delivered his inaugural address to the Royal Spanish Academy.
1980 and 1990: awards
In 1980, the International Booksellers Seventh Congress that was held in Valladolid paid tribute to the writer. The big title of this period was Los santos inocentes (The Holy Innocents), published in 1981. The book is a form of social radiography that recounts the degradation of a rural family through the actions of the caciques of rural
On 7 May 1990, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by
Literary halt and final years
His last major work, El hereje (The heretic),[29] a tribute to Valladolid, was published in 1998 and was awarded the National Fiction Prize.[30] When receiving the award, the author stated that at 79 years of age he "had hung up his writing tackle." At the beginning of the millennium, the Miguel Delibes Chair was founded. The chair has its seat at the universities of New York and Valladolid, and has as its objectives to promote the study of contemporary Spanish literature, make this literature known in the United States and disseminate it through new technologies.[31]
Following the publication of The heretic his writing career came virtually to a halt, mainly because of the colon cancer that affected the writer during the final phase of writing his last great novel.
The president of the autonomous community of Castile and León gave him in November 2009 the Gold Medal of Castile and León in recognition of "his defense of Castillan" and described the author as a "master storyteller".[37]
Similarly, the Junta of Castile and León as well as numerous Spanish and international cultural and intellectual institutions proposed him repeatedly as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, the last time by the Society of Authors and Publishers in 2010 along with Ernesto Cardenal and Ernesto Sabato.[38]
Politics
Although Delibes fought with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, he was appalled by the level of repression, turned against
Death
During the early days of March 2010 his health worsened, and on 11 March, the writer was in critical condition, conscious but heavily sedated, and his family expected his death within hours.
His funeral was held in the morning of March 13 in the Cathedral of Valladolid. His remains were cremated and buried in the Pantheon of Illustrious Men of Valladolid among personalities such as José Zorrilla and Rosa Chacel. Valladolid City Council granted the privilege of moving the cremated remains of Ángeles, his wife, to that cemetery to bury with Delibes, thus honouring his long-expressed wish.[46]
Works
- La sombra del ciprés es alargada (1947). Premio Nadal.
- Aún es de día (1949).
- El camino (1950).
- La barbería (1950)
- El loco (1953).
- Mi idolatrado hijo Sisí (1953).
- La partida (1954).
- Envidia (1955).
- Diario de un cazador (1955). Premio Nacional de Literatura.
- Siestas con viento sur (1957). Fastenrath Award.
- Diario de un emigrante (1958).
- La hoja roja (1959). Premio de la Fundación Juan March.
- Las ratas (1962). Premio de la Crítica.
- Europa: parada y fonda (1963).
- La caza de la perdiz roja (1963).
- Viejas historias de Castilla la Vieja (1964).
- USA y yo (1966).
- El libro de la caza menor (1966).
- Cinco horas con Mario (1966).
- Parábola del náufrago (1969).
- Por esos mundos : Sudamérica con escala en las Canarias (1970).
- Con la escopeta al hombro (1970).
- La mortaja (1970).
- La primavera de Praga (1970).
- Castilla en mi obra (1972).
- La caza de España (1972).
- El príncipe destronado (1973).
- Las guerras de nuestros antepasados (1975).
- Vivir al día (1975).
- Un año de mi vida (1975).
- SOS : el sentido del progreso desde mi obra (1976).
- Alegrías de la Caza (1977).
- El disputado voto del señor Cayo (1978).
- Aventuras, venturas y desventuras de un cazador a rabo (1978).
- Un mundo que agoniza (1979).
- Las perdices del domingo (1981).
- Los santos inocentes (1982).
- El otro fútbol (1982).
- Dos viajes en automóvil: Suecia y Países Bajos (1982).
- Cartas de amor de un sexagenario voluptuoso (1983).
- La censura en los años cuarenta (1984).
- El tesoro (1985).
- Castilla habla (1986).
- Tres pájaros de cuenta (1987).
- Mis amigas las truchas (1987).
- 377A, Madera de héroe (1987).
- Mi querida bicicleta (1988).
- Dos días de caza (1988).
- Castilla, lo castellano y los castellanos (1988).
- Mi vida al aire libre (1989).
- Nacho, el mago (1990).
- Pegar la hebra (1991).
- El conejo (1991).
- Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris (1991).
- La vida sobre ruedas (1992).
- El último coto (1992).
- Un deporte de caballeros (1993).
- 25 años de escopeta y pluma (1995).
- Los niños (Delibes)|Los niños (1995).
- Diario de un jubilado (1996).
- He dicho (1997).
- El hereje (1998). Premio Nacional de Literatura.
- Los estragos del tiempo (1999).
- Castilla como problema (2001).
- Delibes-Vergés. Correspondencia, 1948-1986 (2002).
- España 1939-1950: Muerte y resurrección de la novela (2004).
- La tierra herida: ¿qué mundo heredarán nuestros hijos? (2005). Written together with his son Miguel Delibes de Castro.
Television adaptations
- El camino, five episodes directed by Josefina Molina and broadcast on Spanish television in April 1978.
- La sombra del ciprés es alargada ("The Shadow of the Cypress is Long") is a 1990 Mexican-Spanish film directed by Luis Alcoriza.[47]
Movie adaptations
The following novels of Miguel Delibes have been adapted for the cinema:
- El camino, directed by Ana Mariscal (1964), with Julia Caba Alba, Joaquín Roa, Mary Delgado and Maruchi Fresno
- Mi idolatrado hijo Sisí, adapted as Retrato de Familia, directed by Antonio Giménez-Rico (1976), with Antonio Ferrandis, Amparo Soler Leal, Mónica Randall and Miguel Bosé.
- El príncipe destronado, adapted as La guerra de papá, directed by Antonio Mercero (1977).
- The Holy Innocents, directed by Mario Camus (1984). Cannes prize for Francisco Rabal and Alfredo Landa.
- The Disputed Vote of Mr. Cayo, directed by Antonio Giménez-Rico (1986), with Francisco Rabal, Juan Luis Galiardo, Iñaki Miramón and Lydia Bosch.
- El tesoro, directed by Antonio Mercero (1988). One of the first movies with José Coronado.
- La sombra del ciprés es alargada, directed by Luis Alcoriza (1990).
- Las ratas, directed by Antonio Giménez-Rico (1996).
- Diario de un jubilado, adapted as Una pareja perfecta, directed by Francesc Betriu (1998), with José Sazatornil "Saza" and Antonio Resines.
Awards
- Premio Nadal, for La sombra del ciprés es alargada (1947).
- Premio Nacional de Narrativa, for Diario de un cazador (1955).
- Premio Fastenrath of the Royal Spanish Academy, for Siestas con viento sur (1957).
- Prince of Asturias Awardfor Literature (1982).
- Premio de las Letras de Castilla y León (1984).
- Premio Ciudad de Barcelona, for Madera de héroe.
- Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas (1991).
- Premio Miguel de Cervantes(1993).
- Premio Luka Brajnovic for Communication, awarded by the University of Navarra (1997).
- Premio Nacional de Narrativa, for El hereje(1999).
Honours
- Awarded title of doctor honoris causa by the University of Valladolid(1983).
- Knight of Arts and Letters of the French Republic(1985).
- Named favorite son of Valladolid (1986).
- Awarded title of doctor honoris causa by the Complutense University of Madrid (June 1987).[48]
- Awarded title of doctor honoris causa by the Saarland University (1990).
- Gold Medal of the Province of Valladolid (1993).
- Awarded title of doctor honoris causa by the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares(1996).
- Gold Medal of Merit in Labour (Kingdom of Spain, 30 April 1999).[49]
- Medalla de Oro al Mérito Turístico of the Government of Cantabria (2006).
- Awarded title of doctor honoris causa by the University of Salamanca (2008).
- Medalla de Oro al Mérito Turístico of the Government of Cantabria (2009).[50]
- Named adopted son of Molledo (2009).[51]
- Medalla de Oro de Castilla y León by the President of the Junta of Castilla y León(2009).
Notes
- ^ Elected on 1 February 1973
References
- ^ Eaude, Michael (14 March 2010). "Miguel Delibes obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b c Royal Spanish Academy (19 October 2009). "HE. D. Miguel Delibes Setién (1975)". Archived from the original on 30 June 2010.
- ^ a b c Reichardt 2010, p. 86.
- ^ "Molledo saldó su deuda con Miguel Delibes con su familia como testigo". 12 July 2009.
- ^ El Norte de Castilla. "Semblanza biográfica". Retrieved 12 March 2010.
- ^ a b Escuela Internacional del Español. "Miguel Delibes". Archived from the original on 8 March 2005. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) ‘‘Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991’’, p. 29
- ^ El Norte de Castilla (17 October 2006). "150 años de El Norte de Castilla".
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 30.
- ^ El Norte de Castilla. "Miguel Delibes: cronología 1920-46". Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- Vocento. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ISBN 9788481810073.
- ^ "Juan Delibes: Pasión por la naturaleza". Vadeando (in Spanish). 13 June 2008. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- Vocento. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 33.
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 37.
- ^ The hedge, Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas, New York, Columbia University Press, 1983
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 39.
- ^ a b Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 40.
- ^ The wars of our Ancestors, Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Agnes Moncy, University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA, 1992
- ^ a b Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 42.
- Fundación Príncipe de Asturias (21 October 2009). "Galardonados con los Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras". Archived from the originalon 2 July 2012.
- ^ El Norte de Castilla (8 June 1985). "El Ministro de Cultura presidió ayer el acto de entrega del premio Castilla y León" (PDF). Retrieved 21 October 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 45.
- ^ "Premio de interpretación para Alfredo Landa y Francisco Rabal y Palma de Oro para Wenders en el festival de Cannes". El País. 24 May 1984.
- ^ a b c Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 46.
- ^ The Stuff of heroes, Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Frances M. Lopez-Morillas, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990
- ^ Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991, p. 49.
- ^ The heretic, Miguel Delibes, translated from the Spanish by Alfred MacAdam, The Overlook Press, 2006
- ^ "Miguel Delibes obtiene el Premio Nacional de Narrativa con su libro 'El hereje'" [Delibes Miguel wins National Prize for Fiction with his book 'The heretic']. El País. October 20, 1999. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
- ^ Cátedra Miguel Delibes (22 October 2009). "La Cátedra Miguel Delibes". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- ^ La Voz de Cádiz (22 October 2009). "Elogio de la sencillez".
- ^ Eaude, Michael (14 March 2010). "Miguel Delibes obituary". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España (15 December 2007). "Miguel Delibes, Premio Quijote de las Letras Españolas". Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- ^ Las Provincias (17 October 2006). "Miguel Delibes". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- ^ El Norte de Castilla (March 2007). "El Auditorio Miguel Delibes, listo para la inauguración de hoy". Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- Europa Press. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ nortecastilla.es (5 January 2010). "La SGAE propone de nuevo a Miguel Delibes para el Nobel".
- ^ Reichardt 2010, p. 87.
- ^ Reichardt 2010, p. 92.
- ^ Reichardt 2010, p. 91.
- ^ Fotheringham, Alasdair (2 April 2010). "Miguel Delibes: Spanish writer who found a way past Franco's censors with his stark novels of rural and provincial life". Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-14. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- SL.11 March 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ Fraguas, Antonio (12 March 2010). "Muere Miguel Delibes, alma del castellano". El País (in Spanish). PRISA. Retrieved 12 March 2010.
- ^ "Más de 20.000 personas dan su último adiós a Miguel Delibes en la capilla ardiente". RTVE (in Spanish). 13 March 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- Vocento. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-87413-574-9.
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (in Spanish). pp. 3–5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- R., Juan Carlos; Pimentel Siles, Manuel (30 April 1999). "REAL DECRETO 753/1999, de 30 de abril, por el que se concede la Medalla de Oro al Mérito en el Trabajo a don Miguel Delibes Setién" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado(in Spanish) (104). Ministro de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales: 16181. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- Vocento. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- Vocento. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
Bibliography
- ISBN 84-87737-05-6.
- Dirección General del Libro y Bibliotecas (Ministerio de Cultura) (1994). Miguel Delibes: Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas 1991. Madrid: Centro de las Letras Españolas. ISBN 84-8181-007-X.
- ISBN 84-233-2314-5.
- Reichardt, Mary (2010). Between Human and Divine: The Catholic Vision in Contemporary Literature. CUA Press. p. 86.
- Lapedota, Domenico Daniele. "Desajustes fraseológicos en la traducción al italiano de Señora de rojo sobre fondo gris de Miguel Delibes". Paremia vol. 30, 2020, pp. 39–50. Paremia PDF
External links
- Video: Entrevista a Miguel Delibes: "De pequeño me turbaba la idea de que mi padre muriera" El escritor explica por qué la muerte siempre ha estado tan presente en toda su obra
- Video: Entrevista a Miguel Delibes: "La televisión ha sustituido a la figura de el abuelo como contador de historias"
- Watch the series "El camino", a close adaptation of the novel of Miguel Delibes directed by Josefina Molina
- A biography of the author in El Norte de Castilla
- Cátedra Miguel Delibes
- Miguel Delibes at the Centro Virtual Cervantes
- Special edition of Diario ABC.es on Miguel Delibes
- Special edition of ELMUNDO.es on Miguel Delibes
- Interview with Miguel Delibes in El País Semanal 2007
- Miguel Delibes E-books