Miguel de Unamuno

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Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno in 1925
Born Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo
September 29, 1864
Bilbao, Biscay, Spain
Died December 31, 1936 (aged 72)
Salamanca, Salamanca, Castile
and Len, Spain
Nationality Spanish
Parents Felix de Unamuno and Salome
Jugo
Unamuno was often in the terrace of
the Caf Novelty, founded in 1905, in
the Plaza Mayor of Salamanca.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 31 December 1936) was a
Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, and Greek professor
and later rector at the University of Salamanca.
His major philosophical essay was The Tragic Sense of Life (1913), and his most
famous novel was Abel Snchez: The History of a Passion (1917), a modern
exploration of the Cain and Abel story.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Fiction
3 Philosophy
4 Poetry
5 Drama
6 Confrontation with Milln-Astray
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Biography [edit]
Miguel de Unamuno was born in Bilbao, a port city of Basque Country, the son of
Flix de Unamuno and Salom Jugo. As a young man, he was interested in the
Basque language and competed for a teaching position in the Instituto de Bilbao
against Sabino Arana. The contest was finally won by the Basque scholar
Resurreccin Mara de Azkue.
Unamuno worked in all major genres: the essay, the novel, poetry, and theater, and,
as a modernist, contributed greatly to dissolving the boundaries between genres.
There is some debate as to whether Unamuno was in fact a member of the
Generation of '98, an ex post facto literary group of Spanish intellectuals and
philosophers that was the creation of Jos Martnez Ruiz a group that includes
Antonio Machado, Azorn, Po Baroja, Ramn del Valle-Incln, Ramiro de Maezt, and
ngel Ganivet, among others.
Unamuno would have preferred to be a philosophy professor, but was unable to get
an academic appointment; philosophy was in Spain somewhat politicized. Instead he became a Greek professor.
In addition to his writing, Unamuno played an important role in the intellectual life of Spain. He served as rector of the
University of Salamanca for two periods: from 1900 to 1924 and 1930 to 1936, during a time of great social and political
upheaval. Unamuno was removed from his two university chairs by the dictator General Miguel Primo de Rivera in 1924, over
the protests of other Spanish intellectuals. He lived in exile until 1930, first banished to Fuerteventura, one of the Canary
Islands; his house there is now a museum,
[1]
as is his house in Salamanca. From Fuerteventura he escaped to France, as
related in his book De Fuerteventura a Paris. After a year in Paris, Unamuno established himself in Hendaye, a border town in
the French Basque Country, as close to Spain as he could get while remaining in France. Unamuno returned to Spain after
the fall of General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship in 1930 and took up his rectorship again. It is said in Salamanca that the day
he returned to the University, Unamuno began his lecture by saying "As we were saying yesterday..." (Decamos ayer...) as
Fray Luis de Len had done in the same place in 1576, after four years of imprisonment by the Inquisition. It was as though
he had not been absent at all. After the fall of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, Spain embarked on its Second Republic. He was
a candidate for the small intellectual party Agrupacin al Servicio de la Repblica. He always was a moderate and refused all
political and anticlerical extremisms.
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Sculpture of Unamuno in
Salamanca by Pablo Serrano in 1968.
Balcn de Unamuno, Artenara, Spain
Having begun his literary career as an internationalist, Unamuno gradually became convinced of the universal values of
Spanish culture, feeling that Spain's essential qualities would be destroyed if influenced too much by outside forces. Thus he
welcomed Franco's revolt as necessary to rescue Spain from the excesses of the Second Republic.
[2]
However, the harsh
tactics employed by the Francoists in the struggle against their republican opponents caused him to oppose both the
Republic and Franco. Unamuno said of the military revolt that it would be the victory of "a brand of Catholicism that is not
Christian and of a paranoid militarism bred in the colonial campaigns," referring in the latter case to the 1921 war with Abd el-
Krim in what was then Spanish Morocco. (Franco's 1936 revolt also started from Spanish Morocco.)
[3]
In 1936 Unamuno had a public quarrel with the Nationalist general Milln Astray at the
University in which he denounced both Astraywith whom he had had verbal battles
in the 1920sand elements of the rebel movement. He called the battle cry of the
elite armed forces group named La Legin"Long live death!"repellent and
suggested Astray wanted to see Spain crippled. One historian notes that his address
was a "remarkable act of moral courage" and that he risked being lynched on the spot
but was saved by Franco's wife who took him out of the place. Shortly afterwards,
Unamuno was effectively removed for a second time from his university post. Broken-
hearted, he was placed under house arrest, and his death followed ten weeks later,
on December 31.
[4]
Unamuno died while sleeping, which he regarded as the best and
most painless way to die.
Unamuno was a well-known lusophile, being probably the best Spanish connoisseur of
Portuguese culture, literature, and history of his time. He believed it was as important
for a Spaniard to become familiar with the great names of Portuguese literature as
with those of Catalan literature. He was also a supporter of Iberian Federalism.
In the final analysis Unamuno's significance is that he was one of a number of notable
interwar intellectuals, along with luminaries such as Julien Benda, Karl Jaspers, Johan
Huizinga, and Jos Ortega y Gasset, who resisted the intrusion of ideology into western intellectual life.
[5]
Fiction [edit]
Paz en la guerra (Peace in War) (1897) a novel that explores the relationship of self and world through familiarity with
death. It is based on his experiences as a child during the Carlist siege of Bilbao in the Third Carlist War.
Amor y pedagoga (Love and Pedagogy) (1902) a novel uniting comedy and tragedy in an absurd parody of positivist
sociology.
El espejo de la muerte (The Mirror of Death) (1913) a collection of stories.
Niebla (Mist) (1914) one of Unamuno's key works, which he called
a nivola to distinguish it from the supposedly fixed form of the novel
("novela" in Spanish).
Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho (usually translated into English as Our
Lord Don Quixote) (1914) another key work of Unamuno, often
perceived one of the earliest works applying existential elements to
Don Quixote. The book, on Unamuno's own admission, is of mixed
genre with elements of personal essay, philosophy, and fiction.
Unamuno felt that Cervantes had not told the story of Don Quijote
very well, cluttering it with unrelated tales. This work was Don Quixote
the way Unamuno thought it should have been written. He felt that as
a quijotista (a fan or student of Don Quixote) he was superior to
Cervantes. The work is primarily of interest to those studying Unamuno, not Cervantes.
Abel Snchez (1917) a novel that uses the story of Cain and Abel to explore envy.
Tulio Montalbn (1920) a short novel on the threat of a man's public image undoing his true personality, a problem
familiar to the famous Unamuno.
Tres novelas ejemplares y un prlogo (Three Exemplary Novels and a Prologue) (1920) a much-studied work with a
famous prologue. The title deliberately recalls the famous Novelas ejemplares of Miguel de Cervantes.
La ta Tula (Aunt Tula) (1921) his final large-scale novel, a work about maternity, a theme that he had already
examined in Amor y pedagoga and Dos madres.
Teresa (1924) a narrative work that contains romantic poetry, achieving an ideal through the re-creation of the
beloved.
Cmo se hace una novela (How to Make a Novel) (1927) the autopsy of an Unamuno novel.
Don Sandalio, jugador de ajedrez (Don Sandalio, Chess Player) (1930).
San Manuel Bueno, mrtir (Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr) (1930) a brief novella that synthesizes virtually all of
Unamuno's thought. The novella centres on a heroic priest who has lost his faith in immortality, yet says nothing of his
doubts to his parishioners, not wanting to disturb their faith, which he recognizes is a necessary support for their lives.
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Unamuno seen by Ramon Casas
(MNAC).
Unamuno's 'pjaro sabio' (wise
bird)
Nothing Less than the man (love story novel)
Philosophy [edit]
Unamuno's philosophy was not systematic but rather a negation of all systems and an
affirmation of faith "in itself." He developed intellectually under the influence of
rationalism and positivism, but during his youth he wrote articles that clearly show his
sympathy for socialism and his great concern for the situation in which he found Spain
at the time. An important concept for Unamuno was intrahistoria. He thought that
history could best be understood by looking at the small histories of anonymous
people, rather than by focusing on major events such as wars and political pacts.
Unamuno's Del sentimiento trgico de la vida (The Tragic Sense of Life) (1912) as
well as two other works La agona del cristianismo (The Agony of Christianity)
(1931) and his novella "San Manuel Bueno, mrtir" were included on the Index
Librorum Prohibitorum.
Life was tragic, according to Unamuno, because of the knowledge that we are to die.
He explains much of human activity as an attempt to survive, in some form, after our
death.
Unamuno summarized his personal creed thus: "My religion is to seek for truth in life
and for life in truth, even knowing that I shall not find them while I live."
[6]
He said,
"Among men of flesh and bone there have been typical examples of those who
possess this tragic sense of life. I recall now Marcus Aurelius, St. Augustine, Pascal, Rousseau, Ren, Obermann, Thomson,
Leopardi, Vigny, Lenau, Kleist, Amiel, Quental, Kierkegaardmen burdened with wisdom rather than with knowledge."
[7]
He
provides a stimulating discussion of the differences between faith and reason in his book The Tragic Sense of Life.
A historically influential paperfolder from childhood to his last, difficult days, in several works Unamuno ironically expressed
philosophical views of Platonism, Scholasticism, positivism, and the "science vs religion" issue in terms of 'origami' figures,
notably the traditional Spanish pajarita.
[8]
Poetry [edit]
For Unamuno, art was a way of expressing spiritual problems. His themes were the
same in his poetry as in his other fiction: spiritual anguish, the pain provoked by the
silence of God, time and death.
Unamuno was always attracted to traditional meters and, though his early poems did
not rhyme, he subsequently turned to rhyme in his later works.
Among his outstanding works of poetry are:
Poesas (Poems) (1907) his first collection of poetry, in which he outlined the
themes that would dominate his poetics: religious conflict, Spain, and domestic life
Rosario de sonetos lricos (Rosary of Lyric Sonnets) (1911)
El Cristo de Velzquez (The Christ of Velzquez) (1920) a religious work, divided into four parts, where Unamuno
analyzes the figure of Christ from different perspectives: as a symbol of sacrifice and redemption, as a reflection on his
Biblical names (Christ the myth, Christ the man on the cross, Christ, God, Christ the Eucharist), as poetic meaning, as
painted by Diego Velzquez, etc.
Andanzas y visiones espaolas (1922) something of a travel book, in which Unamuno expresses profound emotion and
experiments with landscape both evocative and realistic (a theme typical of his generation of writers)
Rimas de dentro (Rhymes from Within) (1923)
Rimas de un poeta desconocido (Rhymes from an Unknown Poet) (1924)
De Fuerteventura a Pars (From Fuerteventura to Paris) (1925)
Romancero del destierro (Ballads of Exile) (1928)
Cancionero (Songbook) (1953, published posthumously)
Drama [edit]
Unamuno's dramatic production presents a philosophical progression.
Questions such as individual spirituality, faith as a "vital lie", and the problem of a double personality were at the center of La
esfinge (The Sphinx) (1898), and La verdad (Truth), (1899).
In 1934, he wrote El hermano Juan o El mundo es teatro (Brother Juan or The World is a Theatre).
Unamuno's theatre is schematic; he did away with artifice and focused only on the conflicts and passions that affect the
characters. This austerity was influenced by classical Greek theatre. What mattered to him was the presentation of the drama
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going on inside of the characters, because he understood the novel as a way of gaining knowledge about life.
By symbolizing passion and creating a theatre austere both in word and presentation, Unamuno's theatre opened the way for
the renaissance of Spanish theatre undertaken by Ramn del Valle-Incln, Azorn, and Federico Garca Lorca.
Confrontation with Milln-Astray [edit]
On 12 October 1936 the celebration of Columbus Day had brought together a politically diverse crowd at the University of
Salamanca, including Enrique Pla y Deniel, the Archbishop of Salamanca, and Carmen Polo Martnez-Valds, the wife of
Franco, Falangist General Jos Milln Astray and Unamuno himself. According to the British historian Hugh Thomas in his
magnum opus The Spanish Civil War (1961), the evening began with an impassioned speech by the Falangist writer Jos
Mara Pemn. After this, Professor Francisco Maldonado decried Catalonia and the Basque Country as "cancers on the body
of the nation," adding that "Fascism, the healer of Spain, will know how to exterminate them, cutting into the live flesh, like a
determined surgeon free from false sentimentalism."
From somewhere in the auditorium, someone cried out the motto "Viva la Muerte!" (Long live death!). As was his habit,
Milln-Astray responded with "Espaa!" (Spain!); the crowd replied with "Una!" (One!). He repeated "Espaa!"; the crowd
then replied "Grande!" (Great!). A third time, Milln-Astray shouted "Espaa!"; the crowd responded "Libre!" (Free!) This
Spain, one, great and freewas a common Falangist cheer and would become a francoist motto thereafter. Later, a group of
uniformed Falangists entered, saluting the portrait of Franco that hung on the wall.
Unamuno, who was presiding over the meeting, rose up slowly and addressed the crowd: "You are waiting for my words. You
know me well, and know I cannot remain silent for long. Sometimes, to remain silent is to lie, since silence can be interpreted
as assent. I want to comment on the so-called speech of Professor Maldonado, who is with us here. I will ignore the personal
offence to the Basques and Catalonians. I myself, as you know, was born in Bilbao. The Bishop," Unamuno gestured to the
Archbishop of Salamanca, "whether you like it or not, is Catalan, born in Barcelona. But now I have heard this insensible and
necrophilous oath, "Viva la Muerte!", and I, having spent my life writing paradoxes that have provoked the ire of those who do
not understand what I have written, and being an expert in this matter, find this ridiculous paradox repellent. General Milln-
Astray is a cripple. There is no need for us to say this with whispered tones. He is war cripple. So was Cervantes. But
unfortunately, Spain today has too many cripples. And, if God does not help us, soon it will have very many more. It torments
me to think that General Milln-Astray could dictate the norms of the psychology of the masses. A cripple, who lacks the
spiritual greatness of Cervantes, hopes to find relief by adding to the number of cripples around him."
Milln-Astray responded: "Muera la inteligencia! Viva la Muerte!" ("Death to intelligence! Long live death!"), provoking
applause from the Falangists. Pemn, in an effort to calm the crowd, exclaimed "No! Viva la inteligencia! Mueran los malos
intelectuales!" ("No! Long live intelligence! Death to the bad intellectuals!")
Unamuno continued: "This is the temple of intelligence, and I am its high priest. [ste es el templo del intelecto, y yo soy su
gran sacerdote.] You are profaning its sacred domain. You will win [venceris], because you have enough brute force. But
you will not convince [pero no convenceris]. In order to convince it is necessary to persuade, and to persuade you will need
something that you lack: reason and right in the struggle. I see it is useless to ask you to think of Spain. I have spoken."
Milln-Astray, controlling himself, shouted "Take the lady's arm!" Unamuno took Carmen Polo by the arm and left in her
protection.
See also [edit]
Thinking about the immortality of the crab
References [edit]
1. ^ "Casa museo Miguel de Unamuno en Fuerteventura" . Absolut Lanzarote. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
2. ^ Pierre Brou and Emile Tmime (2008). The Revolution and Civil War in Spain. Haymarket Books. p. 440. ISBN 978-1931859-
51-6.
3. ^ Helen Graham (2005). The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction. Very Short Introductions. Oxford University Press.
p. 68. ISBN 978-0-19-280377-1.[1]
4. ^ Antony, Beevor (2006). The Battle for Spain. London: Phoenix. pp. 111113.
5. ^ Sean Farrell Moran, "The Disease of Human Consciousness," in Oakland Journal, 12, 2007, 103-110
6. ^ Miguel de Unamuno, "Mi religin." (1907) http://www.ensayistas.org/antologia/XXE/unamuno/
7. ^ Tragic Sense Of Life, I The Man Of Flesh And Bone
8. ^ For example, in Amor y Pedagogica (1902) and a letter to the Argentinian Caras y Caretas the same year. For a bird-figure
folded by him in November 1936, see Vicente Palacios, Papirogami: Tradicional Arte del Papel Plegado (Barcelona: Miguel
Salvatella, 1972), p. 122. The term "origami" for such works is recent; Unamuno called it "cocotologa".
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Further reading [edit]
Azurmendi, J. 2012: Bakea gudan. Unamuno, historia eta karlismoa, Tafalla, Txalaparta. ISBN 978-84-15313-19-9
Azurmendi, J. 2012: "Unamunoren atarian" in Alaitz Aizpuru (koord.), Euskal Herriko pentsamenduaren gida, Bilbo, UEU.
ISBN 978-84-8438-435-9
Candelaria, Michael, The Revolt of Unreason. Miguel de Unamuno and Antonio Caso on the Crisis of Modernity. Edited
and with a foreword by Stella Villarmea. Amsterdam/New York, NY, Rodopi, 2012. ISBN 978-90-420-3550-8 E-ISBN 978-
94-012-0821-5
External links [edit]
Biography, images and curiosities of Unamuno
Works by Miguel de Unamuno at Project Gutenberg English translation of The
Tragic Sense of Life by J.E. Crawford Flitch
Tragic Sense Of Life From The Internet Archive
Video: Joxe Azurmendi about Unamuno
Concordances of Unamuno's Poetry
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Unamuno's Letters to Candamo by Jesus Blazquez
"God is dreaming you": Narrative as Imitatio Dei in Miguel de Unamuno by Costica Bradatan
Dios te est soando La narracin como Imitatio Dei en Miguel de Unamuno por Costica Bradatan
Authority control
WorldCat VIAF: 88844103 LCCN: n79060833 ISNI: 0000 0001 2142 8880 GND: 118625403 SELIBR:
205448 SUDOC: 02810093X BNF: cb120002678 (data) ULAN: 500228173 NLA: 35177408 NDL:
00459367 NKC: jn19990008689 ICCU: IT\ICCU\CFIV\021134 RLS: 000082097 BNE: XX1139151
Categories: 1864 births 1936 deaths 19th-century philosophers 20th-century philosophers Basque writers
Complutense University of Madrid alumni Existentialists Former Roman Catholics
Members of the Royal Spanish Academy Origami artists People from Bilbao Spanish agnostics
Spanish anti-communists Spanish anti-fascists Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish essayists
Spanish novelists Spanish people of the Spanish Civil War Spanish people of the Spanish Civil War (National faction)
Spanish philosophers Spanish poets University of Salamanca faculty
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