Biography of Federico García Lorca

Childhood, Early Years, and Education

Federico García Lorca was born in Fuente Vaqueros, a small town in the heart of Andalusian Spain, in 1898. His father, a rich landowner, and schoolteacher mother both loved him unconditionally. Even at a young age, he was sensitive to the poor living conditions of the less fortunate families in his village. From the early age of two, Lorca showed promise of becoming a musician. He entertained his family by singing songs and playing with his puppet theater.

At age 10, his family moved from rural Andalusia to Granada, where he attended school. Lorca was an extremely intelligent boy, but he did not succeed in the traditional classroom setting, nor did he excel in athletics. His flat-footed gait inhibited him from participating in sports that demanded speed and nimbleness.

Despite his extraordinary talents as a musician, Lorca took interest in becoming a writer in his late teens. He officially abandoned his musical career when his piano teacher of six years died. He emerged as a major poet when he was studying humanities and law at the University of Granada.

In 1919, Lorca left Granada and moved to the Residencia de Estudiantesin Madrid, a prestigious men’s residence hall. While he was there, he became friends with the filmmaker Luis Buñuel and the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí.

Generation of 1927

Lorca, Buñuel, Dalí, and several other highly influential avant-garde Spanish poets and artists of the decade became known as la generación del 27(the Generation of '27). This group was the last generation of authors, primarily poets, before the Spanish Civil War. Lasting from 1936 to 1939, the Spanish Civil War was an enormous tragedy that divided the country and did great damage to Spain’s cultural atmosphere.

Career

Federico García Lorca was, above all, a poet, although his professional career began as a prose writer. His first book, Impresiones y paisajes, was published in 1918 and describes his travels through Spain.

Lorca's two most successful poetry collections are Canciones and Romancero gitano. Canciones consists of poems that express various perennial themes, such as passion and death. Romancero gitano is composed of eighteen romances revolving around gypsy life. Lorca’s poems are full of vivid imagery, folklore, and symbolism.

In the 1930s, Lorca devoted himself to drama. Bodas de sangre, Lorca’s most famous play, is based on a story about an Andalusian couple. The symbols that saturate this tragedy are used by Lorca to represent the various themes of the plot. La casa de Bernarda Alba, Yerma, and La zapatera prodigiosa are a few other well-known plays written by Lorca.

Death

Lorca returned to Granada in 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil War was an armed conflict between the Republicans and Nationalists, who were led by General Francisco Franco. At the young age of 38, Lorca met the violent fate he had foreseen. He was assassinated by the fascist forces for his political beliefs and sexual orientation.