Montañeses Studies Center adheres to the memory and revitalization of the great novelist of the Spanish literature of the nineteenth.
In the early hours of the 4 January 1920 passed away, at home Hilarion Eslava street, in Madrid, the great writer Benito Perez Galdos. Chroniclers and writers of the time echoed the cool reaction of the authorities to the disappearance of the most important author of the time. A chill that contrasted with that of the people of Madrid, what, number of 30.000 persons, he accompanied the coffin to the cemetery of La Almudena.
Perez Galdos was born in Las Palmas, but the 19 he moved to Madrid to study at the Central University law degree. In the capital he came into contact with the Institution Free of Teaching and Ateneo, he attended the gatherings of coffee and began to publish in the local press. He lived and live as a journalist and major revolutionary events that would eventually leading to "La Gloriosa", Revolution September 1868.
In the early years of the decade 1870 He began spending summer seasons in Santander, fleeing the heat of the capital. then initiates a habit which led him to purchase land near the peninsula of La Magdalena, which years later would spend the summer holidays King Alfonso XIII and his family. Over time, its presence in Santander will expand beyond own summer months and would be at home, "San Quentin", where he wrote some of his works and received numerous personalities of culture, the press and politics.
He also forged close friendships with some of the inhabitants of the city, as José María de Pereda, Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo and director El Cantábrico, José Estrañi and Grau. Friendship, this last, who retained until the end of his days, as stated José Montero Iglesias in "loyalty of two geniuses. Perez Galdos and Estrañi ", who he published the day 9 in The new World.
GALDÓS, A TRIBUTE AND TORT
Francisco Gutiérrez Díaz
STUDIES CENTER MONTAÑESES
El 23 January 1893, Sparkling journalist José Estrañi and Grau, then editor of Voice Montañesa, published an open letter in El Correo de Cantabria which he proposed a tribute to Perez Galdos be taxed because of the success he had achieved his dramatic production Crazy house. Low water levels were already twenty novelist wore the canary happening in Santander, Cantabrians and considered him a glory own.
El 17 February gathered at the session hall of the City Council representatives of various local newspapers in order to form an organizing committee, although no one came to the newly created newspaper La Atalaya. commissioners, among those who were Estrañi and Albino Alonso Madrazo, They thought of a dual entertainment, Press on the one hand and the literati with Pereda to head for another, but the author Sotileza he preferred to unify the two initiatives and charged, thus, the high
direction "of the event, after remembering that this was intimate and intellectual, with only a speech.
The chosen date 9 March, Galdos Santander reached a few days earlier, something ill health. But improved, morning car and went looking for home, in the carriage of the novelist Polanco, It is, José Antonio Gutiérrez Estrañi and Cueto. Hotel Continental waited in the 1 from noon Enrique Menendez Pelayo, Amos de Escalante, Victor Luna, José Mª and Sinforoso Quintanilla, Federico Road and other attendees (until 32), great bunch of people from very different political ideology and, however, identified in an exemplary friendship fruit of talent and love letters.
The table was beautifully prepared, seeing her two colinetas Monumental whose shots appeared adorned with yellow ribbons and ingrown, each of which had inscribed the title of a work of Galdos. He served as the honorary presidency, He is having his right to Amos de Escalante and his left to Enrique Gutierrez Cueto, director the Atlantic. The other presidency, against said, It fell to the mayor of Santander, Fernando Lavín Casal, sitting on either side of him and Alonso Madrazo Pereda, director of the Trade Bulletin. In a header he ate the poet Adolfo de la Fuente and the other Estrañi. At the uncorked the champagne, the pacotillero rose to say on behalf of the press, being agreed that only outside a speech that expressed "feelings of all those who had gathered to pay tribute of admiration" to the famous writer, there was no higher authority than Pereda, "Not only for its towering literary merits, but because it also, according to the sample, a great organizer banquet ".
The polanquino arose between a salvo thunderous applause and read the account of customs hill-titled VA tale,
after saying: "Your, diner perínclito, admired colleague and friend of the soul: you are (and forgiveness point mode) the wealthy and folksy señorón; we, those gathered around to your festejarte not attack you, the pardillos of aldehuela, men healthy and spirited nature, many somewhat given to the vice of Letters and all, on the whole, fervent admirers of the great masters, like you, in the art of cultivating ... ". The speech was interrupted several times by applause and loud thundering sound, that escalated to the end
Galdos replied speaking of gratitude, affection and pride. He added: "Great is my satisfaction, well they know and those who know me, for having made this country my second home, and every day I flatter myself more of a resolution allowing me to enjoy the beauty of this gentle and smiling soil, as well as the fair treatment of its noble sons. Born in other climes, my destiny wants me Highlander heart. Diéronme naturalization 20 years of residence accidental, and finally my final neighborhood, I hope to continue in what remains of life I (…). I conclude by expressing that among the many reasons for gratitude that I owe this time, He not least has chosen to interpret the sentiments of this noble contest to an old and dear friend of literary labors, master also, who joins me unchanged and unblemished friendship. He was telling me Mountain; now serve me also to express my deep affection the mountaineers'.
Galdos tribute to the Hotel Continental ended at 4,30 that afternoon 9 March 1893, After devoting a loving memory of Menéndez Pelayo, who he was unable to attend due to being absent, and laugh wit splurges due to the pacotillero. fourteen guests, with the head Pereda, They accompanied by three cars to D. Benito her home, there admiring the beauties and curiosities enclosing the mansion and, oddly, the office of the novelist.
Estrañi colinetas ordered the flowers that had adorned the banquet tables were sent to the homes of the authors of National Episodes and Sotileza. He even wrote to the effect pacotillas. one said:
I ask here in my singsong,
after being in a bind
by a consonant in 'the',
a corsage is sent
Galdos's house.
And everyone will say amen,
even if inspiration is me,
to ask without being who
another is sent also
Pereda's house.
Both local press and national broad echoed in the tribute. In the Atlantic, José Maria Quintanilla Martínez (who signed Pedro Sánchez) inserted a chronicle in which, no ulterior motives, mentioned the existence of a Voltaire mask and Lavelay's book Contemporary Socialism in D's abode. Benedict. And from this he took an anonymous feathery foot to include in the then reactionary newspaper La Atalaya the article «La Casa de Galdós» (11/03/1893), where he lashed out with malevolence and irony against the writer, branding him a mason, and against those who had honored him, adding that the works of the canary could not be read "because they are impious, skeptical and contrary to Religion ».
the Atlantic, independent newspaper, but nothing suspicious of anticlericalism, he replied through the loose "The intolerable" (12/03),
protesting that visceral and harsh attack. La Atalaya He released another round under the title "The Orbajosa" (13/03) in which he reproduced the trials had severe Menendez Pelayo dedicated to the author of Gloria in the heterodox, without stopping to explain that the polygraph santanderino, even with all, declaring faithful friend and admirer of him, whom he regarded as "sweet and honest man". It will be another local newspaper, The advertisement, Galdos claiming the "Y goes tale ' (14/03). But replicate this fundamentalist newspaper with "Tila. It are " (15/03), where, at the time still attacked mercilessly with the famous canary writer, He attacks those who visited his palace, people many conservative political ideology or even Carlist, as was the case of Pereda, and most fervent Catholics.
the Atlantic "The cold iron" fought back with Article (16/03), in which said Menendez Pelayo, He has been, He would have attended the tribute to D. Benedict, and that, despite their religious convictions, maintained sincere friendship with personalities of various faiths. Answered La Atalaya (17/3) with "To finish", including fragments of the letter by Pope Leo XIII to the Italians 8 December 1892, in which the pontiff pronounced against friendly dealings with suspected members of Freemasonry and evangelical Those who attempt to reconcile the maxims and revolutionary. There were four more still loose, two a and two other. The daily ultramontano came to ask for the intervention of ecclesiastical authority so that the controversy dirimiera, which closed its opponent with "We gave ' (23/03), which he recognized impotent, irreducible to the stubbornness of his colleague, to convince by arguments based on respect and tolerance.
Pereda himself, in a letter to Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo 20 March, I commented: "Do not talk about the armed cisco here on the occasion
Galdos our banquet because I guess aware of it, and mainly because it stinks ". Friendship canary with its santanderinos fans remained intact, A few days later he invited many to a party at his house to introduce it officially. The previous summer had dwelt in her and, but it was furnishing and decorating slowly, so soon open to all. Initially he called Mansion Mpouapouah or Rancheria naturalist Mpouapouah, He replaces soon as the definitive denomination picturesque San Quintin.
Benito Madariaga de la Campa, our dear colleague and official chronicler of the city of Santander, He spent many years studying the life and work of Perez Galdos, the result of which are several publications that have long been puden available on the website of the CEM, as a result of his work will remain at the scope of those I would like to consult, for what has enabled the following link: https://centrodeestudiosmontaneses.com/2274-2/
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