Josep Maria Benet i Jornet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josep Maria Benet i Jornet
Josep Maria Benet i Jornet
Born	20 June 1940 (1940-06-20) Barcelona, Spain
Died	6 April 2020(2020-04-06) (aged 79) Lleida, Spain
Occupation	Playwright

Josep Maria Benet i Jornet (born June 20, 1940 – died April 6, 2020) was a very famous Catalan writer of plays. People often called him "Papitu". He was known for making Catalan theater fresh and exciting.

About His Life

Josep Maria Benet i Jornet was born in Barcelona, Spain, on June 20, 1940. His parents were Concepció Jornet and Pere Benet.

Early Life and Education

When he was young, Josep Maria loved reading comic books. He would even make up his own stories and conversations for the characters. This helped him discover his passion for writing plays. He also learned a lot from popular books and radio shows.

He studied literature at the University of Barcelona. In 1962, he joined the Adrià Gual School of Dramatic Arts. Here, he met many important theater people. Some of them were Ricard Salvat, Maria Aurèlia Capmany, and Fabià Puigserver. Later, from 1974 to 1981, he taught dramatic literature. This was at the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona.

Working Against the Dictatorship

Josep Maria was involved in working against the Spanish dictatorship. This was a time when Spain was ruled by a single powerful leader. He took secret lessons in Catalan literature. Even though he was active, he never joined any political groups.

His First Play and Success

In 1963, when he was 23, he published his first play. It was called Una vella, coneguda olor. This play was very important because it showed real life in Barcelona. It was different from plays before it.

This first play won an award called the Premi Josep Maria de Sagarra. This award helped start his career as a playwright. He went on to write more than forty plays. These plays were translated into many different languages. Two of his most famous plays, E.R. and Testament, were even made into movies. In 2010, he wrote a book about his life called Material d'enderroc.

Writing for Television

Josep Maria also wrote for television. He was a screenwriter for popular TV shows on TV3. These included soap operas like Poble Nou, Nissaga de Poder, and Ventdelplà.

Awards and Recognition

Throughout his life, Josep Maria received many awards for his work. Some of these important awards include:

• Premi Josep Maria de Sagarra for Una vella, coneguda olor (1963).
• Premi de Teatre Català Ciutat de Sabadell for Berenàveu a les fosques (1972).
• Premi Nacional de Literatura Dramàtica de les Lletres Espanyoles for E.R. (1995).
• Creu de Sant Jordi from the Catalan government (1997).
• Premi Max d'Honor for best Catalan theater author (2010).
• Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes (2013).

Later Life and Passing

In 2011, he gave his important papers and writings to the Library of Catalonia. In 2015, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His daughter, Carlota Benet, shared this news at a special event. This event celebrated his 75th birthday.

As his illness got worse, he moved to a nursing home in Lleida. He passed away on April 6, 2020, at age 79. He died from COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2017, his daughter Carlota wrote a book about her father's memories. It was called "Papitu. El somriure sota el bigoti".

Plays He Wrote

• Una vella, coneguda olor (1964)
• Cançons perdudes (1970)
• Fantasia per a un auxiliar administratiu: obra en dues parts (1970)
• Berenàveu a les fosques (1972)
• Supertot (1973)
• La desaparició de Wendy (1974)
• Revolta de bruixes (1976)
• La nau (1977)
• Descripció d'un paisatge i altres textos (1979)
• Quan la ràdio parlava de Franco (1980)
• Baralla entre olors: peça dramàtica en un acte (1981)
• Elisabet i Maria (1982)
• Dins la catedral (Josafat) (1985)
• El manuscrit d'Alí-Bey (1985)
• Ai, carai! (1989)
• Dos camerinos: apunts sobre la bellesa-3 (1990)
• Desig (1991)
• A la clínica: apunts sobre la bellesa del temps - 1 (1993)
• Fugaç (1994)
• Alopècia (1994)
• E.R. (1995)
• Precisament avui / Confessió (1996)
• Testament (1997)
• El gos del tinent (1999)
• Olors (2000)
• Això, a un fill, no se li fa (2002)
• L'habitació del nen (2003)
• Salamandra (2005)
• Soterrani (2008)
• Dues dones que ballen (2010)

Television Shows He Wrote For

• Vídua, però no gaire (1982)
• Telegaseta de Catalunya (1984)
• Recordar, peligro de muerte (1986)
• Poble Nou (1993 – 1994)
• Pedralbes Centre (1995)
• Nissaga de poder (1996 – 1998)
• Laberint d'ombres (1998 – 2000)
• Rías Baixas (2000)
• El cor de la ciutat (2000 – 2009)
• Mirall trencat (2002)
• Ventdelplà (2005 – 2010)
• Amar en tiempos revueltos (2005 – 2012)
• Mar de fons (2006 – 2007)
• Zoo (2008)
• Amar es para siempre (2013 – ?)

See also

In Spanish: Josep Maria Benet i Jornet para niños