The Dramatic World of Valle-Inclan

Daring, innovative, controversial, often satirical, a dramatist ahead of his time, Ramon del Valle-Inclan (1866-1936) was one of Spain’s ‘Generation of 1898’, and an influence on such later movements as the Theatre of Cruelty andthe Theatre of the Absurd. Lima’s study first examines Valle-Inclan’s day-to-day involvement with the theatre as actor, director-dramaturg and playwright. This is followed by an account of Valle-Inclan’s full-length and one-act plays, which demonstrate the foibles and follies of human behaviour, and are discussed here under a variety of thematic headings.

There follows an up-to-date bibliography of the plays, from editions contemporary with the author through those published posthumously; it includes translations of the dramas into many languages, as well as a worldwide selection of critical studies.

ROBERT LIMA is Professor Emeritus of Spanish and Comparative Literatures, The Pennsylvania State University.

Ramon del Valle-Inclan (1866-1936) era un dramaturgo muy innovador, miembro de la Generacion del ‘98, pero tambien una fuente de inspiracion mas tarde para el Teatro de la Crueldad y el Teatro del Absurdo. La monografia de Lima empieza por examinar el rol desempenado por Valle-Inclan como actor, director, y dramaturgo. Concluye con un analisis detallado de los dramas de Valle-Inclan, tanto los grandes comolos menores, enfocandose en la manera en que el dramaturgo espanol crea una vision penetrante de los errores y debilidades de la conducta humana; la obra dramatica se analiza en varias secciones tematicas. Esta monografia taincluye una bibliografia exhaustiva sobre los dramas de Valle-Inclan, incluyendo traducciones y estudios criticos.