Antonio García Gutiérrez facts for kids
Antonio García Gutiérrez (born October 4, 1813, in Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz, and died August 26, 1884, in Madrid) was a Spanish writer. He was famous for writing plays during the Romantic period. His works became well-known around the world, especially when famous composer Giuseppe Verdi turned two of his plays into operas.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and First Success
Antonio García Gutiérrez first studied medicine in his hometown. In 1833, he moved to Madrid, the capital of Spain. He tried to make a living by translating plays written by French authors like Eugène Scribe and Alexandre Dumas, père. However, he didn't earn much money from this work.
He was about to join the army because he was struggling financially. But then, something amazing happened! On March 1, 1836, his play called El trovador (which means The Troubadour) was performed for the first time. It was a huge success, and Antonio García Gutiérrez suddenly became famous.
His next big success was another play called Simón Bocanegra, which came out in 1843. He also wrote some poetry books, like Poesías (1840) and Luz y tinieblas (1842). While these poems were good, his plays were more important. People admired how he wrote his plays in verse and how well he understood people's feelings, especially women's emotions. This made him one of the most important Spanish playwrights of the 1800s.
Travels and International Fame
Even though Antonio García Gutiérrez was seen as a leader of the Romantic movement in Spain, his plays didn't always make him a lot of money at first. Because of this, he decided to move to Spanish America. He worked as a journalist in countries like Cuba and Mexico.
He lived there until 1850, when he returned to Spain. After he came back, his fame grew even more, reaching all over Europe. This happened because of the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Verdi turned Antonio's play El trovador into a very popular opera called Il trovatore in 1853. Later, Verdi also adapted Simón Bocanegra into another opera called Simon Boccanegra in 1857.
Later Works and Legacy
Some of his best works from later in his life include a type of Spanish musical play called a zarzuela, titled El grumete (1853). He also wrote plays like La venganza catalana (1864) and Juan Lorenzo (1865).
Later in his career, Antonio García Gutiérrez became the director of the archaeological museum in Madrid. He continued to live in Madrid until he passed away in 1884.
See also
In Spanish: Antonio García Gutiérrez para niños
