Josep Feliu i Codina facts for kids
Josep Feliu i Codina (born June 11, 1845 – died May 2, 1897) was a writer from Catalonia, a region in Spain. He was a journalist, which means he wrote for newspapers. He also wrote novels (long stories) and plays for the theater. His writing style was part of the Realist movement, which focused on showing life as it really was. He was also involved in the Catalan Renaixença, a time when Catalan culture and language became very popular again.
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About Josep Feliu i Codina
Josep Feliu i Codina was born in Barcelona, Spain, in May 1845. He studied law and became a lawyer in 1867. He was also involved in politics, working for the Liberal Monarchist Party. This party supported a king or queen ruling the country.
Early Writing Career in Catalonia
Around the same time he finished his law degree, Josep started his writing career. He first wrote in the Catalan language. In 1867, he started a weekly newspaper called La Pubilla.
A year before that, in 1866, he wrote his first comedy play, Un mosquit d'arbre (which means A Mosquito Tree). In 1871, he wrote his first serious play, Els fadrins externs (The Strange Companions). He also worked with another writer, Frederic Soler, on some plays. For these, he used a special pen name, "Josep Serra."
While living in Barcelona, he wrote many more plays and novels. He also started two more newspapers, Lo Nunci and La Jornada.
Moving to Madrid and Spanish Works
In 1886, Feliu i Codina moved to Madrid, the capital of Spain. There, he became very good at writing in Spanish. He worked as an editor for a newspaper called La Iberia. He also wrote for other newspapers like El Rhin and La América.
Many of his plays written in Madrid were in Spanish. Two of his most famous plays from this time are La Dolores (written in 1892) and María del Carmen (written in 1896).
Famous Plays and Adaptations
La Dolores became the story (called a libretto) for an opera by Tomás Bretón in 1895. This opera was also called La Dolores.
María del Carmen also became the story for an opera. This one was by Enrique Granados in 1898, and it was called María del Carmen. Both La Dolores and María del Carmen were later made into movies several times.
María del Carmen was even turned into a Broadway musical called Spanish Love. It opened in New York City in 1920 and was performed over 300 times!
Besides his own stories and plays, Josep Feliu i Codina also translated books. He translated old Italian stories by Matteo Bandello into Spanish. He also translated short stories by the French writer Honoré de Balzac.
Family and Legacy
Josep Feliu i Codina had a brother named Antoni Feliu i Codina (1846–1917). Antoni was also a well-known politician and writer. Both brothers wrote for a Catalan magazine called Un troç de paper.
Josep Feliu i Codina passed away in Madrid on May 2, 1897.
See also
In Spanish: José Feliú y Codina para niños
