Page 16
Biography
Federico García Lorca was born on 5 June 1898, in Fuente Vaqueros, a small town a few miles west of Granada, southern Spain. He went to Madrid in 1919 where he met Salvador Dali who would later design the scenery for a production of Lorca's play. During the Spanish Civil war he was shot to death by supporters of General Francisco.
Lorca's two most successful poetry collections were Canciones (Songs), published in 1927, and Romancero gitano (the Gypsy Ballads), published in 1928. Romancero gitano was especially daring for the time with its exploration of sexual themes and made Lorca a celebrity in the literary world. In the 1930s, Lorca spent much of his time working on plays, including a folk drama trilogy Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) in 1933, Yerma in 1934, and La Casa de Bernarda Alba (The House of Bernarda Alba) in 1936.
To burn with desire and
keep quiet about it
is the greatest punishment
we can bring on
ourselves....
Frederico Garcia Lorca