Federico García Lorca
A Spanish Poet and Dramatist

The eldest of four children, Federico was born in 1898 in the village of Fuente Vaqueros, near Granada.  His parents were called Federico and Vicenta and they were wealthy landowners. 

As a youth, it became obvious that he was a talented writer and pianist.  His first published work was a collection of prose pieces called Impresiones y Paisajes (Impressions and Landscapes) in 1918 when he was just twenty years old. 

Soon, Federico became well-known for his wonderful work, partly because he liked to recite (read out) his poems and writings to groups of listeners in cafés and houses.

In 1919 he went to study Law in Madrid where he became the friend of film director Luis Buñuel and painter Salvador Dalí.

In 1928, his first famous collection of poems was published.  This work is called Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads) and it is a collection of eighteen poems.  Click HERE to read a piece from the collection.

Federico loved the theatre and he became director of a university theatre company of Madrid called La Barraca.  They toured towns, taking drama to smaller towns where theatres did not exist.

His first great play was Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) in 1933.  Over the next two years, he completed his other two most popular plays - Yerma and La Casa de Bernarda Alba.

In July 1936, Federico returned on holiday to his home area of Granada.  A month later, for political reasons, he was arrested and executed without a trial.  Nobody is sure where he is buried.  It was at the time of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and Federico, as an intellect and an artistic person, was considered an unsuitable influence on the Spanish people.  In fact, his plays and poems were banned until 1975 when the Spanish leader
General Francisco Franco died.

Above: Portrait of General Franco.
He was also known as El Caudillo.

General Francisco Franco became the leader of Spain
(el caudillo) at the time of the Spanish Civil War. 
  He remained leader until he died in 1975. 
After Franco's death, the Spanish Royal Family returned.  Today, Spain's monarchy still exists, with the same King since Franco's death in 1975 - Juan Carlos I.

In 1986, the Spanish Government decided to erect a statue of Federico García Lorca in Madrid - to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his death and to recognise his brilliance as a Spanish writer and poet.  Below is a photo of the statue.

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