Do you know the name of the most famous writer in Valencia? Today we present Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, a great author of great influence in the Spanish culture of the 20th century.
If you’ve ever been to Valencia, it sure sounds like the name of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. During our Spanish courses we always recommend students read their works to know Valencian literature. Blasco Ibáñez was a journalist and politician who has entered history as a brilliant writer. If you are interested in learning more about the life of the writer, you can find more information here in the virtual library of Miguel de Cervantes.
Also, if you are thinking about what to do in Valencia, you can visit the avenue that bears his name. It is also the main university street where you can find most of the faculties of the University of Valencia.
In this blog we present 3 classic works by Blasco Ibáñez.
Rice and tartana (Arroz y tartana)
It is the first Valencian-themed novel, Scythian in 1894. In 2013, a Spanish homonymous film came out that received great recognition.
The main character is Doña Manuela who runs the family textile business in Valencia. She was married twice, the first husband had raised the business and the second had squandered everything. Since then, Manuela is obsessed with keeping up appearances and thus marrying her two daughters; therefore, she spends more than she can afford, just like her son Juanito.
Blood and Sand (Sangre y Arena)
It is a novel inspired by the life of the Sevillian bullfighter Manuel García Cuesta. Based on the novel made several films both Spanish and Hollywood. Thanks to this story based on the famous Spanish tradition, the films obtained a great success.
The bullfighter, famous as El Espartero, died by a fuck in the bullring in Madrid in 1894. Manuel was born into a poor family that triumphed as a killer. He had fame, money, a wife … But one day he tricked his wife with another and she decided to leave him. Gallardo wants to stop fighting but the woman asks him to do it the last time. Then, the bull makes a serious goring and Gallardo dies, while his wife believes it has been the punishment of fate.
Among orange trees (Entre naranjos)
It is another work of the cycle of Valencian novels that was adapted by Hollywood. Also, the main female role was the future star Greta Garbo.
It tells the story of Rafael, who comes from a powerful family of a Valencian people. After the death his father decides to continue with the family business of the orange plantation and also to be a politician. Being an honest man, he has a lot of excitement in everything. However, his only wish is to be with an opera singer who returns to the town from Italy. However, Rafael’s conservative circle does not accept relations with artists.
We hope that our post encourages you to know the works of Blasco Ibáñez. In this way, you can improve your Spanish. In addition, soon we will publish more posts to help you learn Spanish and complement your Spanish classes in Valencia.
Until the next blog!
