Luis Martín-Santos facts for kids
Luis Martín-Santos Ribera (born November 11, 1924 – died January 21, 1964) was a Spanish psychiatrist (a doctor who helps people with mental health) and a famous author. He wrote a very important book called Tiempo de Silencio (which means Time of Silence). Many people say this novel is one of the most important Spanish books of the 1900s.
Contents
About His Life
Early Life and Education
Luis Martín-Santos was born in Larache, Morocco, in 1924. His father, Leandro Martín-Santos, was a military doctor. When Luis was five years old, his family moved to San Sebastián, a city in Spain. This is where he spent most of his life.
He studied medicine in Salamanca and later earned his advanced degree in psychiatry in Madrid. In Madrid, he became friends with other important doctors like Juan José López Ibor and Pedro Laín Entralgo.
Becoming a Writer
While studying medicine, Luis also became very interested in literature (books and writing). He often visited the Café Gijón, a famous meeting place for writers in Madrid. There, he met many well-known authors of his time, including Ignacio Aldecoa and Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio.
His Work as a Doctor and Thinker
In 1951, Luis became the director of the main psychiatric hospital in San Sebastián. He worked there for the rest of his life. He also joined a group called the "Academia Errante" (Wandering Academy). This was a forum where Spanish thinkers in the 1960s discussed new ideas and ways of expressing themselves. Luis was very interested in the ideas of Jean-Paul Sartre and a philosophy called existentialism. Existentialism is a way of thinking about human freedom and the meaning of life.
In 1955, he wrote a special paper called Dilthey, Jaspers y la comprensión del enfermo mental (Dilthey, Jaspers, and Understanding the Mentally Ill). Later, in 1964, he wrote another book about existentialism and psychoanalysis.
Family and Activism
In 1953, Luis married Rocío Laffón Bayo, and they had three children together.
He also joined a secret political group called the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), which worked for social change. Because of his involvement, he was put in prison three times. Later, he became a leader in this group and became friends with other important figures working for a better society.
His Most Famous Book
Around 1960, Luis finished writing his famous novel, Tiempo de silencio. It was published in 1962. However, about twenty pages of the book were removed by the government at the time (this is called censorship). The complete, uncensored version of the book was not published until 1981.
In Tiempo de silencio, Luis used new and interesting ways to tell his story. He showed what characters were thinking (like an "interior monologue") and used different ways of narrating, similar to how the famous writer James Joyce wrote.
Luis Martín-Santos started writing another novel called Tiempo de destrucción (Time of Destruction). But he sadly died in a car accident in Vitoria, Spain, on January 21, 1964. He left Tiempo de destrucción unfinished, and it was published as he left it in 1975. A collection of his short stories, called Apólogos, was also published after his death in 1970.
His novel Tiempo de silencio was even made into a movie, directed by Vicente Aranda.
His Books
- Dilthey, Jaspers y la comprensión del enfermo mental (1955)
- Libertad, temporalidad y transferencia en el psicoanálisis existencial (1964)
- Tiempo de silencio (novel) (Time of Silence)
- Tiempo de destrucción (Time of Destruction)
- Apólogos (1970)
See also
In Spanish: Luis Martín-Santos para niños
