Manuel Bueno Bengoechea (1874-1936) was a Spanish writer and journalist whose work stood out in fields such as theater, criticism, journalism and the novel. Chronologically it was contemporary to the members of the renowned Generation of 98, who suffered the consequences of the Cuban War.
The writer obtained recognition through his works related to theatrical criticism and journalistic chronicles. He was a man of clear ideas, and the qualities of elegance and sobriety with which he exhibited them allowed him to have the preference of the audience..
Bengoechea's life turned out to be very hard, however that was no reason for her to waste her talents. He prepared himself and knew how to head towards a life of success, although many scholars of his work considered that it was not given the deserved value.
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Manuel Bueno was born on June 14, 1874 in the French town of Pau. Data on the journalist's family life are scarce, however it is known that his mother was of Basque origin, and that his father, born in Argentina, was a military man with liberal ideas.
Bueno Bengoechea grew up with his family in the Spanish municipality of Bilbao. The information about his life is not precise, however, some records affirm that he was admitted to the Casa de Misericordia hospice, from the age of seven to twelve..
When he was fourteen he went to the United States to study, and also had his first experiences in the journalistic field. Although the Spanish writer and historian Carlos Sainz asserted that his self-taught training was admirable, he did not obtain an official academic degree.
The young Manuel began to take his first steps in the world of journalism and literature in the city where he grew up. At the age of twenty-two he began working as a printer in a printing press, a trade he learned during his stay at boarding school..
At that time he also showed his facet as a leader when he decided to join the General Union of Workers, an organization with socialist principles. He worked in various print media, and had the opportunity to publish his first two writings, classified as essays..
Bengoechea wanted to break new ground and made the decision to go to Madrid in 1897. The newspaper The balloon He opened the doors for her, and there he worked as an editor of chronicles, which he signed as "Lorena." He also devoted himself to one of his great passions, theater criticism in the Heraldo de Madrid and in The Correspondence of Spain.
The Spanish capital was a place of opportunities for the writer. He collaborated with several newspapers, also founded the newspaper The morning, was director of the magazine Madrid, and printed newspapers ABC Y Black and white they had him as a permanent collaborator for a long time.
Bueno stated on several occasions that politics was the main generator of the problems that Spain suffered, due to the way it was exercised. His journalistic works were a window to show his political inclinations, and the ideological changes that he was giving.
At first he proved to be one of the leftist ideas, that is how he belonged to the Bilbao Socialist Association. Later, he manifested preferences for conservatism, opposing total changes within society. On the other hand, he was firm in his position against church policies..
The writer also expressed his support for the dictator Primo de Rivera. His ideals and political thoughts were put into practice when, between 1910 and 1916, he was deputy for the provinces of Huelva, Jaén and Albacete. The cause of his death had to do with politics.
Well Bengoechea and Valle-Inclán were good friends. However, both were involved in a dispute in 1899, in which Manuel wounded Ramón on the wrist with a blow to him. The wound became so infected that Inclán lost his arm. Despite the incident, they remained friendly.
Bueno Bengoechea had signed contracts with a publishing house for the publication of some of his works, so in 1936 he decided to settle in Barcelona. It was the time of the Civil War, and they accused him of promoting violent uprisings.
Your collaboration in the undercover circulation No matter, caused his murder. A group of soldiers forcibly removed him from his home on August 11, 1936, and shot him the following day. The body was left behind a church.
Despite his evolution in the political sphere, with regard to literature he maintained the main style traits of the Generation of '98. The historical context of his life made him remain in a critical position before social norms and this is clearly reflected in his works.
Within the impressionism of his writings, the romantic thought, the use of the third person and the attachment to landscaping were maintained, all expressed with his very personal elegant and pleasant style..
Bueno Bengoechea's work was abundant. Theater, narrative, criticism, essays, translations and newspaper articles were some of the fields where it was developed. The following are just some of his most important works:
Among these works stand out The Achilles heel (1909) and The lie of love (1908). The latter was a comedy that premiered on the stage of the Spanish Theater in Madrid. It is also worth naming What god wants, work that came to life on May 5, 1914.
Works of this genre include the following:
- Living (1897).
- Souls and landscapes (1900).
- At ground level (1902).
- Heart inside (1906).
- William the Passionate (1907).
- Jaime the Conqueror (1912).
- Intrusive (1913).
- On the threshold of life (1918).
- The pain of living (1924).
- The miracle city (1924).
- Facing (1925).
- The sweet lie (1926).
- Last love (1930).
- Sunset sun (1931).
- The taste of sin (1935).
- The mysterious love (1936).
- Danton's grandchildren (1936).
Some of these titles were published in the regular installments of the print media of his time..
The author published one of his first essays in two Bilbao newspapers, which he titled Watercolors (1896). The content of said material was loaded with elegance in the language, but without that meaning that they were not pleasant for the reader..
Spain and the monarchy (1909) was also another of his important essays. After his death, Words to the wind (1952) and The thirds of ABC (1977). On the other hand, the author made some translations of plays in French and Italian, and took them to the stage in Spain.
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