Carlos Arniches biography, style and works

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Simon Doyle

Carlos Arniches (1866-1943) was a renowned Spanish playwright, playwright, poet, lyricist, librettist, screenwriter, poet, and columnist of the mid-19th century. He is recognized for having been one of the main authors of Spanish manners in theatrical comedy and in theater in general in Spain in the second half of the 1800s..

His work was truly prolific, since it includes some 270 theatrical comedies, 17 film scripts, 11 articles, 8 epistolary collections, 3 librettos, 1 speech and 1 biography. His comedies, though uneven in quality, are full of witty jokes and jokes..

Carlos Arniches. Source: Diego Calvache Gómez de Mercado [Public domain]
His association with zarzuelas authors led him to create a type of short sainete without music, with a very lively language and full of jokes. In a way, he was a renovator of comedy and an author who knew how to condense language, jokes and comedy, and manners in his work..

Article index

  • 1 Biography
    • 1.1 Birth and family
    • 1.2 Childhood in a difficult environment
    • 1.3 Stay in Barcelona and transfer to Madrid
    • 1.4 Meeting with Gonzalo Cantó Vilaplana
    • 1.5 Start of National Panorama and marriage
    • 1.6 Decline of dramatic art in Spain
    • 1.7 Attempts by Carlos to overcome "the decline"
    • 1.8 Flight to Argentina due to the Civil War
    • 1.9 Return to Spain and death
  • 2 Style
  • 3 Works
    • 3.1 Theatrical comedies
    • 3.2 Poetic work
  • 4 References

Biography

Birth and family

Carlos Jorge Germán Arniches Barrera was born in Alicante on October 11, 1866. He was the son of a low-income couple: his father, Carlos Arniches Baus, was a worker in a tobacco factory.

His mother was María Antonia Barrera who, in addition to having him, gave birth to 6 of his sisters: Rafaela, María, Natividad, Mercedes, Juana and Dolores.

Childhood in a difficult environment

The childhood that little Carlos Arniches had to live was besieged by riots and disease.

During the decade of the 60s and 70s Spain was abuzz with riots. The strong political struggles kept the city mired in deterioration, violence and oblivion, while its rulers were only interested in maintaining power..

The natural and health scene of the time was no less lamentable. At the end of 1870 a flood caused by the overflowing of the Segura River caused incalculable damage. In addition, a typhus epidemic claimed the lives of more than a thousand people.

All this scenario served as the background to the constant political hostility. As if that were not enough, a job dismissal of the father made the family move to Barcelona in 1880 in search of a better future.

Stay in Barcelona and transfer to Madrid

Carlos Arniches stayed in Barcelona for 5 years, during which time he began to write poetry for his own amusement..

During this time he worked at Banca Freixes. However, in 1885 he went to Madrid after a job failure, pursuing his dream of improving his pen skills..

In Madrid he arrived at the home of a paternal aunt from a wealthy family, who received him on the condition that he study law. The rigidity of the new house and the free spirit of the young Carlos Arniches never combined, so soon after he left there in the worst way: without a word or prior notice..

Meeting with Gonzalo Cantó Vilaplana

It was then that he met Gonzalo Cantó Vilaplana, a young failed comedian who had just lost in a comedy contest.

Arniches knew how to detect the error in his work and together they partnered to write comedy works. This union was fruitful for both, because with this they made their way through the world of theater on the right foot.

In 1888 both comediographers wrote the comedy-zarzuela The publishing house, Literary satire that was very successful after its premiere on February 9. This work was followed by another musical on November 15 of the same year: Manias.

With these forays into the sainete (a short work of manners, made with a bit of realism and much more humor), Arniches was elevating the genre until he himself became one of the fundamental pillars of this form; in fact, he wrote several sainetes per year.

Start of National Panorama and marriage

“Carlos Arniches” street. Source: Malopez 21 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
In 1889 he premiered National Panorama, a music magazine. In 1894 he enjoyed great fame within the so-called “boy genre”, which allowed him to live in better conditions and even indulge in certain luxuries..

At that time he married Pilar Moltó Campo-Redondo. The girl was 23 years old and he was 27. With her he had 5 children: Carlos, José María, Fernando, Pilar and Rosario.

Decline of dramatic art in Spain

The last decade of the 19th century was one of the worst in the history of Spanish dramatic art; it was called "the decadence".

Critics claimed not to see works that were worthwhile. They all followed one another in one premiere after another, without leaving a lasting mark on the audience..

Carlos Arniches also suffered during "the decline." The writers had adapted to the genres and style of the moment, without innovating or presenting new ideas, and if they did, they failed miserably, which is why this era bore the aforementioned name..

Carlos attempts to overcome "the decline"

In an effort to get ahead and overcome this terrible period, Carlos Arniches tried to renew the farce. In the end he achieved his goal, which is why he is considered the father of the modern farce.

That is how, in 1901, it was released Pains at the Apolo Theater with great success from the critics and the public. With the presentation of that work the end of "the decadence" was marked..

Flight to Argentina due to the Civil War

Arniches continued to write and publish success after success during the first decades of the 20th century, until the Civil War in 1936 forced him to emigrate to Argentina..

In that South American country, Arniches had some godchildren who took him in. He remained in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, until the end of the war, which occurred in 1940..

Return to Spain and death

During the time he was in Argentina, his health declined and, in general, he lived quite poorly. He had to be operated on and had to stay for long periods with probes. When he finally returned to his homeland, he dedicated himself to writing what would be his last works.

Among his latest manuscripts the following stand out: Father Pitillo, Uncle Miseries, The Sleeping Beast Y Don truths (text with which his work ended).

Finally, Carlos Arniches died at 6 in the morning on April 16, 1943 in the arms of his wife, due to angina pectoris and arteriosclerosis..

Style

Carlos Arniches' production includes skits and zarzuelas librettos throughout the nineteenth century, but from the twentieth century he innovated the so-called boy genre (table of customs and musical skit) until he developed it and created comedy without music..

The atmosphere embodied in his works is always the "secular Madrid", with a popular and original tone. The characters in his plays have quick talk, full of short jokes and unexpected twists..

The language was always somewhat convoluted, although not for that complicated. The author did not limit himself only to imitating that slang of the Madrilenian, but also included new terms that people adopted over time.

The works in which this can be seen are: The stars (1904), The flower of the neighborhood (1919) or The miracles of the wage (1924).

Stylistically, his work can be divided into three main parts: the extended farce, the boy genre and the grotesque tragedy.

In the extensive sainete they stand out Miss de Trévelez (1916), The caciques (1920), The heroic life (1921) and Is my man (1921). On the other hand, in the boy genre the following stand out: The feast of San Antón (1898) and The saint of isidra (1902).

Regarding the grotesque tragedy, the author combined the dramatic with the caricatural, thus anticipating the "grotesque" of Ramón María del Vallé-Inclán, who was a contemporary of his.

In this genre, the author treats the environment in the same way as in the farce, but the comic elements have a serious tinge through which social criticism and black humor are introduced. A clear example of this genre is the work From the traditional Madrid (s / f).

Caricature by Carlos Arniches published in Alma de Dios. Source: Manuel Tovar Siles [Public domain]
He was always criticized for the excessive use of vulgar environments, the easy fall into the maudlin in his dramatic scenes and the cutting of syllables in the vocabulary. However, they are part of your "personal signature".

Plays

Theatrical comedies

Carlos Arniches's work consists mainly of theater comedies. Among all these, the following stand out:

- The naked truth Y Publishing house (both in 1888).

- National overview Y The fire of San Telmo (both in 1889).

- Our lady Y The legend of the monk (both in 1890).

- The independent candidate Y Victory! (both in 1891).

- The appeared Y The big captain (both in 1892).

- The shirtless Y Right arm (both in 1893).

- Poppies Y The left foot (both in 1894).

- The other world Y Corporal first (both in 1895).

- The trumpet band Y The head of the movement (both in 1896).

- The saint of Isidra (1898).

- The face of god (1899).

- Pains (1901).

- The handful of roses (1902).

- School boys (1903).

- The grille of the Dolores (1905).

- The joy of the battalion (1909).

- The trust of the tenorios (1910).

- The master of the street (1910).

- The friend Melquiades or By the mouth dies the fish (1914).

- The Adventures of Max and Mino or How foolish are the wise! (1914).

- The one who sows the winds (Don Quintín, the bitter) (1924).

- The blackberry stain ... (Mr. Pepe, the Templao) (1925).

- Under a bad cloak (The stumble of the Nati) (1925).

- The boy from the store (The last monkey) (1926).

- Mechachis, how handsome I am! (1926).

- The revenge of a wicked (The model jail) (1929).

- Kiss me, it suits you (1936).

- Don truths (1943).

Poetic work

Among his poems the following stand out:

- To Zorrilla (1893).

- A mortal sin (1893).

- Who was chinese! (1893).

- Do not cover his face (1901).

References

  1. Carlos Arniches. (S. f.). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: wikipedia.org.
  2. Carlos Arniches. (S. f.). (N / a): Biographies and lives. Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com.
  3. Carlos Arniches. (S. f.). Spain: Cervantes Virtual. Recovered from: cervantesvirtual.com.
  4. Carlos Arniches. (S. f.). (N / a). Reading. Recovered from: lecturalia.com.
  5. Carlos Arniches. (S. f.). Spain: Spain is culture. Recovered from: españaescultura.es.

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