Ricardo López Aranda facts for kids

Ricardo López Aranda (born December 20, 1934, died November 25, 1996) was a Spanish writer. He was famous for writing plays, TV shows, and movies. He was born in Santander. His family's home was destroyed by a big fire in Santander in 1941.

Ricardo López Aranda won many awards for his plays. He wrote stories that explored big ideas like freedom and power. He also created fun plays for children.

Early Life and First Plays

Ricardo López Aranda started his career by winning important awards. In 1958, he won the National University Theater Prize for his play Nunca amanecerá. He also published his version of the ancient Greek story of Oedipus, called La Esfinge sin Secreto.

In 1960, his play Cerca de las estrellas won the National Calderón de la Barca Theater prize. It also won the Aguilar prize in 1961. This play was shown at the National Teatro María Guerrero. It was even made into a movie in 1962.

In 1964, he wrote Noches de San Juan. This play won the runner-up prize for the Lope de Vega award. It was also performed at the María Guerrero National Theater in 1965.

Different Kinds of Plays

Many of Ricardo López Aranda's early plays, like Cerca de las estrellas and Noches de San Juan, were part of a style called "Spanish realist movement." This means they showed life as it really was.

He also wrote plays he called Theater of Cruelty. These plays included la cita, el asedio, and la espera.

A third group of his plays talked about big topics like faith, freedom, and power. These plays were written in a serious style called tragedy. One of these was Yo, Martín Lutero. This play was about Martin Luther. The government at the time, led by Franco, stopped the play from being shown. It was forbidden even though it was already being rehearsed.

Works for Children and Television

Ricardo López Aranda also wrote several plays especially for children. These included the musical El Cocherito Leré. He also adapted famous stories like The Blue Bird and Don Quixote for the stage. These children's plays were shown at the María Guerrero Theater.

Between 1965 and 1971, he adapted many stories for television. In 1971, he won the Golden Quixote award for his TV scripts for the series Páginas Sueltas. In 1978, he wrote El juglar y la reina for TV.

Film and Later Works

In 1969, he adapted Benito Pérez Galdós's novel Fortunata y Jacinta for the stage in Madrid. This play was performed again in 1993 and 1994. He also helped write the TV series based on the novel in 1977.

He wrote scripts for several movies, including Cerca de las Estrellas (1962), Marta (1970), and Tormento (1973). He also co-wrote the script for the film Fortunata y Jacinta (1969). He often found ideas for his movie scripts from the work of writer Arthur Miller.

Ricardo López Aranda also wrote poetry. He did not publish much of it until later in his life. His book El crisantemo y la cometa was published near the end of his life. He also left behind many novels and essays that were never published.

Between 1972 and 1977, he adapted many classic novels and plays. These included El Buscón. He also wrote new original plays like Las herederas del sol and Los extraños amantes. He wrote Un periodista español which was based on the life of Mariano José de Larra.

In 1978, his play Isabelita la Miracielos opened in Madrid. It showed what life was like during Spain's move to democracy. In 1982, he moved to Mexico. There, he wrote scripts for the TV series Leona Vicario. In 1983, his play Isabel, reina de corazones was shown in Madrid. This play was inspired by the life of Queen Isabel II of Spain.

After his death, the Spanish Association of Playwrights published a collection of his plays in 1998. Also in 1998, the city of Santander started the Ricardo López Aranda International Theater Award. This award is given out every two years to new playwrights.

Awards

• Premio Nacional de Teatro Universitario (1958) for Nunca amanecerá
• Premio de periodismo Santo Tomás de Aquino (1958) for his article Hacia una universidad mejor
• Premio Nacional de Teatro Calderón de la Barca (1960) for Cerca de las Estrellas
• Premio Aguilar 1960-1961 for Cerca de las Estrellas
• Accésit to the Premio Lope de Vega (1964) for Noches de San Juan
• Premio Quijote de Oro (1971) for the TV script Páginas Sueltas
• Premio María Rolland (1983) for Isabel, reina de corazones

Works

Theatre

• Nunca amanecerá, 1958
• La esfinge sin secreto, 1958
• Cerca de las estrellas, 1960
• Yo, Martín Lutero, 1964
• Noches de San Juan, 1965
• El cocherito leré, 1966
• Los extraños amantes, 1974
• Isabelita la miracielos, 1978
• Isabel, reina de corazones, 1984

He is also known for his plays and TV shows based on Galdos's novel Fortunata y Jacinta.

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo López Aranda para niños