Ramón María del Valle Inclán

Ramon Maria del Valle-Inclan (1866-1936) was a Spanish author known for his eccentric, aggressive, and independent character. His real name was Ramon Maria del Valle y Pena. After the death of his father, he left the Law School in Santiago de Compostela to seek his fortune in Mexico. He enlisted in the Mexican army, worked as a journalist, and visited Cuba, but continued to face financial difficulties, which forced him to return to Madrid. There, he embraced the bohemian lifestyle of the city, joined literary circles, and devoted himself to literature. In 1899, during a dispute with a friend, he lost his left hand. In 1907, he married actress Josefina Blanco, which strengthened his ties to the theater. In 1916, he visited the French front as a war correspondent during World War I. That same year, he was appointed to the Chair of Aesthetics at the School of Fine Arts in Madrid, but he soon left the position. In 1921, he returned to Cuba and then to Mexico, officially invited by General Obregón's government to celebrate National Independence. His statements in favor of Obregón's agrarian reform and against the Spanish monarch drew ridicule from his compatriots. In 1929, he was imprisoned for opposing the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. In 1931, with the proclamation of the Republic, he was appointed director of the Spanish Academy in Rome. In 1935, he fell ill and returned permanently to Santiago. Valle-Inclan's work is extensive and varied, encompassing poetry, theater, and prose. According to some critics, Valle-Inclan belongs to the renowned Generation of '98. However, due to his interest in art and the linguistic beauty of his early works, and the unique style he cultivated, emphasizing the musicality of words and the creation of images, he is regarded as the main representative of Spanish modernism.