Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (August 12, 1866 – July 14, 1954) was one of the most important Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize in Literature for continuing the important traditions of Spanish drama in a happy way.

Biography

Born in Madrid, he was the son of a well-known pediatrician. He brought drama back to real life by using social criticism in his work. He changed from poetic verses to written prose, from dramatic stories to humorous plays, from structured plots to real-life experiences, from sudden actions to conversations between characters. Benavente was interested in beauty and later in moral values.

He supported a monarchy and criticized socialism. He was hesitant to support Francoist Spain, but he believed it was the only option after the failed Republican government from 1931 to 1936. In 1936, his name became linked to the death of Spanish poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca. This happened when certain newspapers, including Estampa, El Correo de Andalucía, and Ideal, spread a false story claiming Lorca had been killed as revenge for a Republican attack on Benavente. Benavente died in Aldeaencabo de Escalona (Toledo) at the age of 87. He never married. Many sources say he was a gay man.