biography
| name: |
Azaña (y Díaz), Manuel
|
pronunciation:
[athanya ee diath]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1880–1940)
|
| biography:
| Spanish statesman, president (1936–9), and literary critic, born in Alcalá de Henares, C Spain. A barrister, author, and lecturer in Madrid University, he became director of La Pluma (1920–3) and España (1923–4). In 1925 he founded a political party, Acción Republicana. He rose to become minister of war and president of the council (1931–3), then president of the republic. He held office throughout most of the Spanish Civil War, but was forced into exile by General Franco. After writing several books on Juan Valera including Vida de don Juan Valera (1926), La novela de ‘Pepita Jiménez’ (1928), and Valera en Italia (1929), he compiled two books of essays Plumas y palabras (1930) and La invención del ‘Quijote’ y otros ensayos (1931). His El jardín de los frailes (1926) is a partly autobiographical novel based on his adolescent experiences in the Colegio de Augustinos at El Escorial. In addition he translated George Borrow's The Bible in Spain. He died in Montaubon, France. |
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