Vicente Blasco Ibáñez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
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Vicente Blasco Ibáñez in 1919
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| Born | Vicente Blasco Ibáñez 29 January 1867 Valencia, Spain |
| Died | 28 January 1928 (aged 60) Menton, France |
| Resting place | Valencia Cemetery |
| Language | Spanish |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Literary movement | Realism |
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (born January 29, 1867 – died January 28, 1928) was a famous Spanish writer. He was also a journalist and a politician. Many of his books became popular Hollywood movies. This made him very well-known around the world.
Contents
About Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in the city of Valencia, Spain. He studied law at university and finished in 1888. But he never worked as a lawyer. He was much more interested in politics, writing, and journalism. He especially admired the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes.
His Political Life
When he was young, Vicente was a strong supporter of the Republic. He started a newspaper in his hometown called El Pueblo, which means The People. Through his newspaper, he created a political movement. It was known as Blasquismo.
His newspaper often caused a lot of discussion. It was taken to court many times. In 1896, he was arrested and spent some months in prison.
Travels and Later Life
In 1909, he traveled to Argentina. He helped create two new towns there. They were named Nueva Valencia and Cervantes. He also gave talks about history and Spanish books.
Later, he became tired of the government's problems in Spain. He moved to Paris, France, when World War I began. He supported the Allies during the war.
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez died in Menton, France, in 1928. He passed away the day before his 61st birthday. He died at his house, called Fontana Rosa. He had built this house and dedicated it to famous writers like Miguel de Cervantes, Charles Dickens, and Honoré de Balzac.
He wanted his body to return to Valencia when Spain became a republic. In 1933, his remains were brought back to Valencia. Spanish authorities received his body with great respect. After several days of public tributes, he was buried in the Valencia cemetery.
His Writing Career
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez published his first novel in 1892. It was called La araña negra ("The Black Spider"). He later said he didn't like this early work. It talked about a noble Spanish family and the Jesuits. He used the book to share his strong opinions about certain groups.
Stories of Valencia
In 1894, he wrote a more important book, Arroz y tartana (Airs and Graces). This story is about a widow in Valencia trying to keep her family's good name. She wants her daughters to marry well.
His next books focused on life in the countryside around Valencia. This area is called the huerta. It has farms where people grow rice, vegetables, and oranges. The huerta has a special watering system built long ago. These books showed everyday life in this area.
Some of these books include:
- Flor de mayo (1895) ('Mayflower')
- La barraca (1898) ('The Hut')
- Entre naranjos (1900) ('Between Orange Trees')
- Cañas y barro (1902) ('Reeds and Mud')
These stories also showed how people's lives are shaped by their family, surroundings, and society. He often included messages in his books. For example, in La Barraca, he wrote about how important it was for poor farmers to get a better education. He also showed how harmful it was for them to fight each other instead of uniting against unfair landowners.
He also wrote in great detail about how the old watering canals worked. He described the "tribunal de las aguas". This is a special court of farmers. They meet every week to decide who gets water for their farms. Cañas y barro is often seen as his best book from this time.
Worldwide Stories and Hollywood Films
After these books, his writing changed a lot. He started writing stories set in places all over the world. His plots became more exciting and dramatic. He wrote about 30 books in this new style.
Some of these books became very popular Hollywood movies:
- Blood and Sand (Sangre y arena, 1908): This book is about a bullfighter named Juan Gallardo. He starts poor in Seville and becomes a famous matador in Madrid. He falls in love with a woman named Doña Sol, which leads to his downfall. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez even directed a film version in 1916. It was remade three more times in 1922, 1941, and 1989.
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis, 1916): This novel tells the story of an Argentinian landowner's two sons-in-law. One is French, the other German. They end up fighting on opposite sides during World War I. When this book was made into a movie in 1921, it made Rudolph Valentino a huge star.
- Mare Nostrum (1918): This is a spy story set in the Mediterranean Sea. It was made into a film in 1926.
- The Torrent (1926) and The Temptress (1926): These were two of the first Hollywood films starring the famous actress Greta Garbo. The Torrent was based on his book Entre naranjos, and The Temptress was based on La Tierra de Todos.
His Books
- A los pies de Venus
- Argentina y sus grandezas (1894)
- Cañas y barro, about life among fishermen in Valencia. It was also a Spanish TV series.
- Cuentos valencianos
- El caballero de la virgen
- El establo de Eva, a short story (1902)
- El intruso, about people moving to the Basque Country
- El oriente
- El papa del mar, about a religious leader who lived in Peñíscola.
- El parásito del tren, a short story (1902)
- En busca del Gran Khan
- Entre naranjos, another story set in Valencia. Also a Spanish TV series.
- Fantasma de las alas de oro
- Flor de mayo
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- La araña negra (1892)
- La bodega
- La familia de Doctor Pedraza (1922)
- La horda (1905)
- La Pared
- La reina Calafia (1924)
- Los argonautas (a bestseller in the United States in 1919)
- Los muertos mandan
- Luna Benamor
- Mare Nostrum, a spy novel. It was made into films in 1926 and 1948.
- Novelas de la costa azul
- Blood and Sand (Sangre y arena), about a bullfighter. It was made into several films.
- Vistas sudamericanas
- Voluntad de vivir
- Vuelta del mundo de un novelista, a travel book
Books in English
See also
In Spanish: Vicente Blasco Ibáñez para niños
