María Martínez Sierra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
María de la O Lejárraga García
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María Lejárraga
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| Born | 28 December 1874 San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain
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| Died | 28 June 1974 (aged 99) Buenos Aires, Argentina
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| Nationality | Spanish |
| Other names | María Martínez Sierra |
| Occupation | writer, dramatist, politician |
| Political party | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party |
| Spouse(s) | Gregorio Martínez Sierra |
María de la O Lejárraga García (born December 28, 1874 – died June 28, 1974) was a Spanish writer, playwright, translator, and politician. She was also a strong supporter of women's rights, known as a feminist. She often used the pen name María Martínez Sierra. María worked closely with her husband, Gregorio Martínez Sierra, on many projects.
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Early Life and Education
María de la O Lejárraga was born into a well-off family in San Millán de la Cogolla, a town in La Rioja, Spain. When she was four, her family moved to Carabanchel Bajo, near Madrid. Her father, Leandro Lejárraga, was a surgeon. María's mother, Natividad García-Garay, taught her children at home using French teaching methods.
María later studied at the Asociación para la Enseñanza de la Mujer (Association for the Education of Women). Here, she learned about the modern teaching ideas of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (Free Institution of Education). She finished her business studies in 1891. After that, she became an English teacher at a school for governesses and commerce. María also completed her education studies at the Escuela Normal in Madrid.
As a student, María attended a Spanish-American education conference. There, she supported the teaching ideas of Emilia Pardo Bazán, another important writer. María worked as a teacher from 1897 to 1907.
In 1905, María de la O Lejárraga received a scholarship to travel to Belgium. She wanted to study their education systems. While in Belgium, she also learned about "Casas del Pueblo" (People's Houses), which were community centers, and socialist ideas. However, María loved writing, but society at the time made it hard for women to become artists or scientists.
Marriage and Theater Success
In 1899, María de la O Lejárraga published her first book, Cuentos breves (Short Stories). Her family did not like it much. In 1900, María married Gregorio Martínez Sierra. They worked together on many plays. Even though María wrote most of them, they were publicly credited only to her husband. She chose to use his name because her family did not approve of her writing career, and she was also a teacher.
In 1901, María and Gregorio started a magazine called Vida Moderna (Modern Life). They published works by both modern and realistic writers. Later, with Juan Ramón Jiménez, they founded Helios (1903-1904). This magazine focused on modern poetry and featured writers like Emilia Pardo Bazán and Antonio Machado. In 1907, they also started Renacimiento (Renaissance), another high-quality magazine. These magazines helped María become good friends with Juan Ramón Jiménez. Both publications kept up with new European writing styles. María spoke many languages and translated many English and some French works for Renacimiento.
In 1908, María de la O stopped teaching to focus entirely on her writing. Her play, Canción de cuna (Lullaby), first performed in 1911, won an important award from the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy). This award was for the best play of the 1910-1911 theater season. María wrote at least 20 plays that were performed in Madrid.
Her husband's theater company, "Compañía cómico-dramática Martínez Sierra," performed not only in Spain but also toured in France, Great Britain, the United States, and Latin America. Both María's and Gregorio's names appeared on the performance programs. María also managed her husband's theater, the Teatro Lara, when he was away.
María de la O Lejárraga also worked with famous writers like Eduardo Marquina on his play El pavo real (The Peacock). She also collaborated with Carlos Arniches on La chica del gato (The Cat Girl), which was later made into a movie. In 1914, María created Margot, a three-act musical play with music by Joaquín Turina.
In 1913, María and her husband met the composer Manuel de Falla in Paris. When Falla returned to Madrid, they started working on different projects. One famous work was El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), which premiered in 1915 at the Teatro Lara in Madrid. It starred Pastora Imperio in the main role. El amor brujo combined music and dance by Manuel de Falla with stories written by María de la O Lejárraga.
Women's Rights and Politics
In the 1920s and 1930s, María Lejárraga was very active in groups that fought for women's rights. She became the secretary of the Spanish part of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. This group worked to give women the right to vote.
When the Women's Alliance for Civic Education was created in 1930, María was its first president. In the 1933 Spanish general election, María Lejárraga was elected to Congress. She represented Granada as a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
In mid-1933, a group called the World Committee Against War and Fascism sent people to Spain. They wanted to find women who would help start a local branch. Dolores Ibárruri, Encarnación Fuyola, Lucía Barón, and Irene Falcón formed the National Committee of Women Against War and Fascism. María Lejárraga helped them connect with other women who supported the Republic and socialist ideas.
María Lejárraga left Parliament after the government's harsh actions during the Asturian miners' strike of 1934. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, the government sent her to Switzerland as a trade representative. In 1938, she moved to France. Later, she lived in New York, Los Angeles, and Mexico. Finally, in 1953, she moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. She died there in 1974, living in difficult conditions.
Life in Exile
After her husband, Gregorio Martínez Sierra, passed away, María published a memoir called Gregorio y yo (Gregorio and I) in 1953. In this book, she finally showed proof that she was the main writer of the works credited to him.
María worked as a translator throughout her life. She translated many works anonymously at first. Later, she used the name María Martínez Sierra for some translations. From 1915 to 1930, many theater translations were published under her husband's name. During her exile in Argentina (1950-1974), she continued to translate books and plays. This work helped her earn a living until she died. She once wrote in a letter, "Translating, for a writer who knows their craft, is a delightful form of laziness. The other is reading."
Similarities with a Disney Movie
In 1951, María Lejárraga, through her translator Collice Portnoff, sent a handwritten story called Merlín y Viviana to Walt Disney. The story was about a male dog who falls in love with a female cat. She wanted to see if Disney would be interested in making it into a movie. Two months later, Disney sent the story back.
In 1955, the movie Lady and the Tramp was released. María noticed some similarities between her story and the movie. Her translator wrote about it: "We sent it to Walt Disney, they kept it for a couple of months and sent it back saying they didn't take unsolicited scripts. Later, they made a movie, Lady and the Tramp, which was the same story, only changing the cat for a female dog. This time I didn't want to protest, what for?"
Selected Works
- Cuentos breves (1899)
- La mujer ante la República (1931)
- Una mujer por caminos de España (1952)
- Gregorio y yo (1953)
- Viajes de una gota de agua (1954)
- Fiesta en el Olimpo (1960)
See also
In Spanish: María de la O Lejárraga para niños
