AGUSTÍN DE FOXÁ: BIOGRAPHY, STYLE AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2024

Agustín de Foxá y Torroba (1906-1959) was a Spanish writer, novelist, poet, journalist, and diplomat. In addition, he was III Count of Foxá and IV Marquis of Armendariz. From a political point of view, the author had a close relationship with José Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of the dictator.

Foxá's work was very striking, being originality and creativity the most outstanding elements of his writings. This was also framed within the current of modernism. The girl with the snail was her first work, however, her most important and renowned writing was Madrid from court to czech.

Image source: guerracivildiadia.blogspot.com

Foxá developed his talent for letters in various genres, including poetry, narrative, theater written in verse, newspaper articles, chronicles and reports. Regarding the theme, it was related to war, love, disloyalty, travel and own experiences.

Biography

Birth and education

Agustín de Foxá was born on February 28, 1906 in Madrid. The writer came from a wealthy family linked to the Spanish nobility. The different levels of his education were attended at the Nuestra Señora del Pilar school, then he studied law.

Foxá, the diplomat

Shortly after graduating from university, in 1930, Foxá began to live as a diplomat. She was the representative of Spain in Bucharest and Sofia. Through his ability to express himself, he managed to establish good relationships in high society, although at times he was sarcastic and hurtful.

Early literary works

Foxá showed talent for letters at an early age, even at school he published for the school magazine. On a professional level, she began with some collaborations for the printed media such as ABC, La Gaceta Literaria y Héroe y Mundial.

In 1933 he published his first poetic work entitled La Niña del Caracol, the prologue and the edition were in charge of Manuel Altolaguirre. In addition, this book was dedicated to the writers María Zambrano and Ramón Gómez de la Serna. The style of the collection of poems was modernist and avant-garde.

The author during the Civil War

Before the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, Agustín de Foxá published his second book, El toro, la muerte y el agua, in which he showed his affinity with modernism, but belatedly. The foreword to this book was written by his friend Manuel Machado.

When the fight began, he was to be shot for his relationship with the aristocracy. In a letter to his brother, the writer recounted what happened, explained that on July 21 his life was in danger because he was "about to be shot."

He continued by telling him that in the afternoon his door was slammed with violence, the shouts and offenses were immediate; "They targeted me," he said.

Falangist Foxá

Agustín de Foxá went to Bucharest, Romania, after the incident; He served as Secretary of the Embassy of the Diplomatic Representation of the Republic. But Foxá had already identified with the rebel group that carried out the coup against the Second Republic.

This is how he subsequently held positions in the Falange Foreign Service, which was an entity in charge of organizing and directing political actions outside of Spain. In his capacity as a writer he wrote in Falangist magazines such as Vértice, Hierarquía and was in the direction of the bilingual magazine Legiones y Falanges.

Other positions as a diplomat

Agustín de Foxá served a good time as a diplomat. After the Spanish Civil War ended he was sent as a representative to Rome. However, in 1940 he was fired because he was considered a spy; then in 1942 he was a diplomat in Helsinki, Finland.

Manuel Machado, who wrote the prologue to El toro, la muerte y el agua. Source: Fot. Cartagena, via Wikimedia Commons

From 1947 to 1950 Foxá made foreign policy in the city of Buenos Aires. At that time she delved into the political and social situation of her native Spain. He also kept holding conferences, and in some he had to face criticism and opposition from Spanish exiles.

Last years and death

Between 1949 and 1950, the Franco dictatorship resumed relations with some Latin American countries, including Honduras. It was then that Agustín de Foxá returned to literary activity through his participation in the so-called "poetic mission", together with other Spanish poets they toured various nations.

In the course of 1950 he served as ambassador of Spain in Havana, Cuba. After five years he returned to Spain, and in that year, 1955, he was elected as an academic of the Royal Spanish Academy, but he could not present his opening remarks because he died on June 30, 1959.

Style

The literary style of Agustín de Foxá was characterized by having a precise and well-elaborated language. In addition, his lyrics enjoyed authenticity and originality. In his poetry there was a presence of the popular and traditional, as well as modernist and avant-garde.

The quality, brilliance and rhythm of his prose writing was similar to that of the poet and writer Del Valle-Inclán. Foxá also presented works with short content on many occasions, but which were loaded with satire, irony and various occurrences.

Plays

Lyric

Commemorative plaque in honor of Agustín Foxá. It is located on Calle Ibiza, 1 in Madrid, the place where he lived and died. Source: Philmarin, via Wikimedia Commons

The first two parts refer to nostalgia for the memory of childhood and adolescence in the years before the Civil War. While in the last section, with forceful language, she talks about the traditions of her country, and makes claims to those who wanted to do it less.

Fragment of "Inert seabed"

"The sea has other months, different seasons

the may of the flowers never reaches their algae.

Our January that snows the forests, only

it gently cools the blue skin of the water.

Oh cold and pale underwater gardens!

Are you a hell of doomed roses

because adulteresses went to the kiss of the bee, that raised hives of love, to forget them?

Narrative

Brief review of the most representative play

Dance in captaincy

It was one of Foxá's plays, it premiered on April 22, 1944 at the Spanish Theater in Madrid. The author structured it in four acts, although the prologue placed him in the middle of the Civil War in 1936, the actions take place between 1872 and 1876 during the Third Carlist War, in the town of Aranjuez.

The play tells the story of Doña Esperanza and her two daughters Elvira and Eugenia, for whom the mother wants a good marriage. However, Eugenia is forced to marry a wealthy old man named Anselmo, but she is madly in love with Luís, a young captain.

Theater in verse

Press articles, chronicles and reports

- A world without melody (1950).

- On the other shore. Chronicles and impressions of trips through America (1961).

- Selected articles (2003).

- Nostalgia, intimacy and aristocracy (2003).

- On the banks of the Ladoga (2019).

A proposed edition of his Complete Works, he published three volumes of IV. Corresponding to 1963, 1971 and 1976 respectively.

References

1. García, P. (2011). 1903: Agustín de Foxá is born, a man of coffee, drink and cigar. Spain: Digital Freedom. Recovered from: blogs.libertaddigital.com.
2. Agustín de Foxá. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
3. Tamaro, E. (2004-2019). Agustín de Foxá. (N / a): Biographies and Lives. Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com.
4. Ramírez, M., Moreno, E., De la Oliva, C. and Moreno, V. (2018). Agustín de Foxá Torroba. (N / a): Search Biographies. Recovered from: Buscabiografias.com.
5. Constenla, T. (2010). Agustín de Foxá without clichés. Spain: The Country. Recovered from: elpais.com.