The Theatre Of Antonio Buero Vallejo

This monograph examines the complex relationship between Antonio Buero Vallejo [1916 - 2000] and the ideologies of Francoist and post-Franco Spain. This monograph examines the complex relationship between Antonio Buero Vallejo [1916 - 2000] and the ideologies of Francoist and post-Franco Spain. The central focus of the study is Buero's political theatre and his employment ofmyth and history to challenge the notion of an España eterna. It also considers Buero's creation of his own myths and his revision of history in order to rationalize and justify his own stance. In his determination towrite and stage committed drama in a repressive society, Buero's choice, with its inherent contradictions and ambiguities, was posibilismo. This book looks at this pragmatic employment of language and silence, both in his art and in his dealings with the censors and with other representatives of the hegemony and analyses how posibilismo both aided and limited him. The monograph also considers Buero's neglected post-Franco theatre, examining the reasons for its initial negative reception and its renewed importance in today's Spain. In these days of digging up the past, Buero's post-Franco insistence on rejecting the pacto de olvido is perhaps more relevantthan ever before. CATHERINE O'LEARY lectures in Spanish at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth

"Eric W. Pennington's book, the latest and one of the best on Buero Vallejo's theater, thoughtfully frames careful analyses with the major theoretical approaches of the last half century. Pennington's knowledge of those theories and his insights into the various artistic influences on Buero's plays are remarkably thorough. Of particular note also is his intelligent, even literary prose---the perfect vehicle for evoking the artistic nuance, historical detail, and human impact of Buero's compelling dramatic achievements." Dr. Robert L. Nicholas, Professor Emeritus of Spanish, University of Wisconsin-Madison --

This work explores Buero's concepts for diminishing aesthetic distance in his plays, aiming to add new insights into the essence of his performance objectives and strategies. It introduces both the fundamental concepts of the dramatist as well as examining the total theatre to which Buero aspired.

Buero Vallejo is Spain's most important living playwright. His profound, innovative theatre has earned him success and respect since 1949. Each new play has been an exciting experiment with dramatic form as well as a powerful expression of a tragic view of human life and Spanish society. A Dreamer for the People was first performed in 1958.

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This book explores Antonio Buero Vallejo's use of the theater for historical memory activism, countering the assumption that Spaniards have only recently taken up this issue. His theory of tragedy is rarely recognized as an influence on contemporary Civil War tragedies, which are appearing with increasing frequency on Spanish stages.