Miguel De Unamuno: Biography Of This Writer And Thinker
Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish poet, writer, philosopher and politician with a restless, rebellious and critical personality towards the society in which he had lived. A great Spaniard, he wanted his country to overcome certain attitudes that he attributed as causing Spain’s ills.
Never comfortable with the governments in which he lived, Unamuno was condemned, banished and deposed by kingdoms, dictatorships and republics alike, despite the fact that he was a supporter of the Second Spanish Republic.
The literature of the 20th century in Spain cannot be understood without reviewing the figure of this writer, his work, the themes he addresses in it and, also, his personality characteristics and history. Here We will address these issues through a biography of Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was born on September 29, 1864 in Bilbao. He was the third of the six children born to Félix de Unamuno, a humble merchant who had made his fortune in Mexico, and his wife Salomé Jugo. From a very young age, the young Unamuno would have to experience two experiences that would mark his character and that would be well reflected in the style of his works: the death of his father and the outbreak of the Third Carlist War (1872-1876), besieging the city of Bilbao.
Academic training
In his adolescence he moved to Madrid to begin his studies in Philosophy and Letters at the university. At this time he published his first article, while forming a more intimate and emotional relationship with Concha Lizárraga, who would end up being his wife and the mother of his X children.
In 1883 he finished his university studies and obtained his doctorate with his thesis “Critique of the problem about the origin and prehistory of the Basque race.” After that, Miguel de Unamuno entered the working world by teaching classes, in addition to collaborating in different newspapers nationwide. Also, he focuses on preparing the oppositions to obtain Institute and University chairs, held in different cities in Spain to fill vacancies.
Professor in Salamanca
After several unsuccessful attempts, Unamuno obtained a position as professor of Greek Language at the prestigious University of Salamanca. He arrives in this city already married to his wife Concha and lives in several residences on a rental basis. It would be around this time that his first child, Fernando, would be born. He would be able to move to a home in the Plaza de Gabriel y Galán in that same city the place where Pablo, Raimundo, Salomé and Felisa would be born.
It was during these years that he published various works, introducing his concern for Spain and its destiny. Among the texts that came to light around this time we can highlight “Enround el casticismo”, “Peace in war”, “the Sphinx” and “La Venda”, in addition to having the opportunity to publish several articles in the Spanish press. and Hispanic American. But to all this good news was added some very bad news: his son Raimundo fell seriously ill, which caused him a deep personal and religious crisis.
Beginning of the new century
At the beginning of the academic year of 1900, Uamuno, as a professor, had to give the inaugural speech. His educational proposals raised in his speech were so innovative that shortly afterwards he would end up being elected as rector of the university After his appointment, Unamuno moved to the rector’s residence, right next to the School Yard of the University of Salamanca. The rest of his children will be born there: José, María, Rafael and Ramón, but it will also be where his son Raimundo dies.
The governing house of the University of Salamanca will see how Miguel de Unamuno writes “Three essays”, “Landscapes”, “Of my country”, “Life of Don Quixote and Sancho”, “Poems”, “On the tragic feeling of life” and “Fog.” It will also be that same place where in 1914 he will see how Unamuno is dismissed and has to move to Bordadores Street. It is then that he begins to show a committed attitude towards Spanish society, beginning an intense and active political life.
During the First World War (1914-1918) he showed support for the Allies against the Germanophiles , visiting the Italian front with Manuel Azaña and Américo Castro. Unamuno presented himself as a candidate for deputy for the Republican Party of Vizcaya around this time. He had no qualms about confronting King Alfonso
Primo de Rivera dictatorship
By being very opposed to the monarchy and the military Directorate imposed by Primo de Rivera, Miguel de Unamuno ends up exiled He first travels to Fuerteventura, but then ends up fleeing to France, even though he had already been pardoned. He promises not to return to his country until Primo de Rivera leaves the government, a promise that he keeps. He shares his exile with other great Spanish figures, such as Eduardo Ortega y Gasset and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.
Once Primo de Rivera was no longer in power, Miguel de Unamuno finally returned to Spain. His return was tremendous, passing through Hendaye to reach the city of Salamanca, where he regained his university professorship, although this time it would be the History of the Spanish Language. These are years of theatrical production, publishing works such as “The Other”, “Sombras de Sueño” and “Medea”.
Second Republic and last years
He stands in the municipal elections for the republican-socialist coalition , obtaining a council position and proclaiming the Republic from the balcony of the Salamanca town hall. He is named Honorary President of the municipal corporation for perpetuity, President of the Council of Public Instruction, Deputy to the Cortes, Rector of the University of Salamanca and later Rector for life.
Also, already at the time of the Second Spanish Republic, he was named an Honorary Citizen of the Republic and was nominated for the Spanish Academy and for the Nobel Prize. However, despite his Republican affiliation, He soon begins to be critical of the government joining the military uprising of 1936. Although he had been retired since 1934, his antipathies with the Republic caused the rebel government of Burgos to once again appoint him rector of the University of Salamanca.
However, it should be noted that Miguel de Unamuno was neither a fascist nor a Falangist, quite the opposite. He soon became opposed to the rebels and confronted General Millán Astray during the celebration of “Columbus Day” in 1936 in the Auditorium of the University of Salamanca. The words he uttered to his Falangist audience are famous: “You will win, but you will not convince.” Thus He ended up being dismissed, confined in his home on Bordadores Street under police surveillance He would die there suddenly on December 31, 1936, at the age of 72.
Themes in Unamuno’s work
Miguel de Unamuno was always a restless and rebellious man, as well as paradoxical and contradictory. Based on his personal life, we can see how he had no qualms about confronting the authorities when he did not like what they did, whether it was the monarchy, the dictatorship or the republic. His individualistic character made him worship himself, not as an egocentric act but, rather, as a way of expressing and putting in order his ideas. He himself said “I talk about myself because he is the man I am closest to.”
Miguel de Unamuno was an intellectual who cultivated all the genres of his time. His theatre, poetry, essays and novels can be encompassed based on the two recurring thematic axes in his literary production: concern for Spain and the meaning of human life. Existential nuances emerge in both themes, which makes Unamuno one of the first modern existentialists that Spain has.
Spain’s problem
Miguel de Unamuno was a great lover of Spain, something we can understand with what he himself said: “Spain hurts me”; “I am Spanish, Spanish by birth, by education, by body, by spirit, by language and even by profession and trade; Spanish above all and before everything.” He is interested in its literature, its past and its future, and aims to find a solution to the ills that afflicted Spanish society highlighting the need for a spiritual renewal that gets rid of two attitudes, according to him, that are deeply rooted in Spanish society: chronic laziness and atony.
With the intention of vividly capturing the essence of what is Spanish, Unamuno toured the country’s towns to understand first-hand what characterized them. He wanted to capture what Spain truly was beyond intellectual circles and official history books.
For him it was essential to learn “intrahistory”, that is, real and popular history, to have a reliable idea of what Spain’s past had been. He shows these pretensions and interest in what is Spanish in works such as “On around casticism” (1895), where raises the idea of intrahistory
Furthermore, his “Life of Don Quixote and Sancho” (1905) is very important, where he claims that the work of Miguel de Cervantes is the maximum expression of the Spanish soul, in addition to the dichotomy between madness and reason, fiction and reality. . In “Through the lands of Portugal and Spain” (1911) and “Spanish adventures and visions” (1922) he also shows his concern for the destiny of the country.
Originally, Miguel de Unamuno He considered that the evils that affected Spain would disappear once the country had become Europeanized , putting itself on par with France, Germany or the United Kingdom. However, with the passage of time he changed his position, considering that what really had to happen was for Europe to become Spanishized, to capture some of the best customs of Spain and to adopt some of the attitudes typical of the peninsular people.
The meaning of human life
The other characteristic theme of Unamuno’s work is his interest in the meaning of human life. As the existentialist writer that he is, he shows interest in the man of flesh and blood, delving into the tragic meaning of his existence through his experiences, tragedies, problems and anguish. In his literature we can see his interest in the immortality of our existence: when we die, do we cease to exist or is there life beyond? Herbert Spencer, Sören Kierkegaard, William James and Henri Bergson influence his work.
How the personal contradictions and paradoxes of his thinking prevented him from developing a coherent philosophical system He used his writings as a vehicle for expression and also as a kind of therapy to put his ideas in order He expresses his personal anguish and his way of thinking in works such as the aforementioned “Around Casticism” (1895) as well as “My Religion and Other Essays” (1910), “Soliloquios y Conversations” (1911) or “Of Tragic Feeling.” of life in men and in people” (1913).
Miguel de Unamuno cultivated all types of genres, although novels and essays were his strong points.
Poetry and theater
As a poet, Miguel de Unamuno was quite undervalued for a long time, despite the fact that he is currently considered one of the greatest representatives of Spanish poetry of the 20th century. Both his poems and plays show a great wealth of thought, mainly addressing intimate, religious and political dramas through the conflicts of the characters and his own sensitivity to reality.
Among the main collections of poems we have “Poesías” (1907), “Rosario de sonnets líricos” (1911), “El Cristo de Velázquez” (1920), “Rimas de interior” (1923) and “Romancero del destierro” (1928), The latter being a portrait of his experiences on the island of Fuerteventura after being deported for opposing the government of Miguel Primo de Rivera. After his death, “Cancionero Póstumo” was published, a book that collects the poems written between 1928 and 1936.
As for Unamuno’s theater we have “Fedra” (1924), “Sombras de Sueño” (1931), “El otro” (1932) and “Medea” (1933) and “El Hermano Juan” (1934). In this genre it does not seem that he stood out much, since it has been considered that his work has rather little dramatic action and ends up resulting in excessively schematic compositions.
Novels
The novel is Miguel de Unamuno’s strong point, being considered one of the most determined innovators of this genre at the beginning of the 20th century The novel is this writer’s main tool to transmit his existential conflicts and personal experiences, the first being his “Peace in War” (1897) in which he describes the historical events that occurred during the last Carlist war.
Already entering the 20th century, he published his well-known “Niebla” (1914), which began a new literary genre founded by himself: the nivolas. “Nivola” is a neologism by Unamuno that he uses to refer to his narrative fiction novels, trying to distance himself from the realist novels that dominated the literary scene of the 1900s. In “Niebla” Unamuno presents the confrontation of souls and human passions without resorting to landscapes, environments or customs.
His most representative nivola becomes a reference in 20th century literature due to how innovative it was His protagonist, Augusto Pérez, breaks the fourth wall by rebelling against Unamuno himself. Augusto realizes that he is nothing more than a fictional being, whose destiny, experiences and even his feelings are determined by Unamuno’s will. But, also, Augustus reminds the writer that he is also under the will of an entity greater than himself: God.
In 1917 he published “Abel Sánchez” and in 1921 “Launta Tula”. His masterpiece would come in 1931 with “San Manuel Bueno Mártir”. It is the dramatic story of a parish priest of a town lost by the hand of God who, exemplary dedication to his village and manifesting himself as if he were a saint, hides a deep inner tear of doubt about what lies beyond the death.
Of special mention is his “Three exemplary novels and a prologue” (1920), considered by some experts to be an autobiographical novel It has nothing to do with the facts of his life, but rather his spiritual biography and his essential vision of reality. It is the affirmation of his individual identity and the search for the binding elements that underpin human relationships.
