Juan Benet facts for kids

Juan Benet (born October 7, 1927 – died January 5, 1993) was a famous Spanish writer. He wrote novels, plays, and essays. He was also a civil engineer, which means he designed and built things like roads, bridges, and buildings.

Juan Benet: A Spanish Writer and Engineer

Early Life and Education

Juan Benet was born in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. When the Spanish Civil War started, his father died during the war in Madrid. Juan and his family then moved to San Sebastián to stay with relatives and find safety. They lived there until 1939, when they returned to Madrid.

In 1944, Juan finished high school. In 1948, he started studying at the School of Civil Engineering in Madrid. He often visited a popular meeting place called Café Gijón in Madrid. There, he met many writers of his time, including Luis Martín Santos, who became his best friend.

In 1953, while still a student, Juan started an engineering internship in Finland. He also published his first play, Max. This play showed his unique writing style, which was different from the popular stories in Spanish literature at that time.

Juan finished his engineering degree in 1954 and got married the next year. After working on several projects in Switzerland, he moved to Ponferrada in Léon and then to Oviedo for his engineering jobs.

Starting His Writing Journey

First Books and Recognition

In 1961, Juan Benet published his first novel, Nunca llegarás a nada (which means You Will Never Amount to Anything).

He returned to Madrid in 1966. In 1968, he published Volverás a Región (Return to Región). At the same time, he was busy designing the Porma [es] reservoir as an engineer. Some people called his writing "incorrect literature" because it was so different. However, a few writers, like Pere Gimferrer, believed he was a great new storyteller. In 1967, Benet won the Premio Biblioteca Breve award for his book, Una meditación (A Meditation).

He also wrote an essay called La inspiración y el estilo (Inspiration and style). In this essay, he shared his strong ideas about art and literature. He believed that good writing was mostly about style, not just about telling stories or making arguments.

Between 1970 and 1973, Juan Benet wrote many more books. These included Una meditación, Un viaje de invierno (A Winter Journey), which completed a series that started with Volverás a Región, along with Puerta de tierra, Teatro, Una tumba, La otra casa de Mazón, and Sub rosa.

A Time of Change and New Works

In 1974, Juan Benet's wife, Nuria Jordana, passed away. This sad event caused a big change in his writing and his personal life. He became more private and did not publish another book until 1976, which was Qué fue la guerra civil (What Was the Civil War). Until the 1980s, he traveled a lot, visiting places like China and attending conferences in the United States.

In 1980, he published one of his most important books, Saúl ante Samuel (Saul Before Samuel). This was a complex story that critics really liked. He was also a finalist for the Planeta Prize in 1980 for his book El aire de un crimen. He lost to Volaverunt by Antonio Larreta. Three years later, the first part of Herrumbrosas lanzas (Rusty lances) was published. He continued this work with two more parts in 1985 and 1986.

While he was also building his own engineering company, he published the novel En la penumbra (In the Penumbra) in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, he published his last two works: the essay La construcción de la torre de Babel (The Construction of the Tower of Babel) and El caballero de Sajonia (The Knight of Saxony). Juan Benet passed away on January 5, 1993, leaving the fourth part of Herrumbrosas lanzas unfinished.

His Lasting Impact

In the 1980s, people started having many discussions about Juan Benet's books. These talks continued even after he died. His unique writing style made him stand out from other Spanish writers of the second half of the 20th century. You can see the influence of the American writer William Faulkner in all of Benet's works.

Today, Juan Benet is known as one of the greatest Spanish writers of the 20th century. On January 18, 1993, The Times newspaper compared him to famous writers like Marcel Proust from France, James Joyce from Ireland, and William Faulkner from the U.S.

See also

In Spanish: Juan Benet para niños