‘The afternoons of Moncloa’: an unfinished comedian opera by the Machado household sees the sunshine | Culture | EUROtoday

“We will be left forever without knowing what would have happened in that fun play.” This is how Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar, author and researcher, condenses the bittersweet feeling of the publication of The afternoons of Moncloa or the witches of Don Franciscothe second unpublished piece by the Machado brothers that the Unicaja Foundation rescues, after presenting The Goddess Reason in 2018 -this one is complete-. Manuel and Antonio wrote this “comic opera” in three acts, of which solely the primary stays. “It was announced by them in statements to the press as a work in three acts, although very soon we understood that this is probably not going to happen,” the researcher clarifies about the potential for discovering the remaining among the many greater than 5 thousand parts that make up the Machado brothers’ assortment, which the Foundation acquired in two levels – in 2003 and the majority, some 4,500, in 2018 -.

Rodríguez Almodóvar is co-editor, together with Rafael Alarcón (professor of Spanish Literature on the University of Jaén), of this publication, which is accompanied by the facsimile version, the authors’ manuscripts and the copy made by José, the third of the brothers, who used to wash up the texts earlier than sending them to the printer. “The outbreak of war surprised the Machados in a sweet moment of creativity, rehearsing a new dramaturgy, far from the previous historical sentimental drama, or dramatic comedy with folkloric overtones. This has been completely overcome and they were beginning a new path that promised a lot,” he says. The work is a humorous satire with some sung components, which portrays the political and social lifetime of 18th century Spain, impressed by actual characters, reminiscent of Godoy, whom the witches in a Goya portray reproach for his “lightness.”

“With these two works we have a snapshot of the moment in which the Machados were writing. It is the best and newest of their theater,” says the author, who remembers the extraordinary work accomplished to “put the pieces together, like a puzzle” because of the dysfunction by which they have been preserved by the heirs. The existence of this theatrical piece was already identified from the start, in accordance with Rodríguez Almodóvar, however the texts needed to be analyzed and the handwritten lyrics “translated” as a result of “everything was mixed up. We went back to review the nearly five thousand papers that are in the Machadiano collection,” he says.

Regarding the looks of latest unknown publications, the particular person answerable for Literature on the Unicaja Foundation, Francisco Cañadas, advances that “there are more unpublished works, which are incomplete and which, when they can be transcribed, we will publish. There is a quite interesting fund that has yet to come to light. We want to make it known and see the great dimension that Manuel and Antonio Machado have, together and separately.” Publication occasions “will depend on the cataloging work. We have a general vision of everything, but we must continue with more complex research work.” Cañadas believes that these manuscripts will contribute to altering the conception of the author brothers: “It has always been said that they were antagonistic and that is not the case, they got along very well.”

In parallel to the publication of The afternoons of MoncloaUnicaja inaugurates the exhibition at its headquarters in Seville The new Machado theatercurated by Rodríguez Almodóvar himself, a tour of the 2 unpublished dramaturgies revealed thus far. Through the brothers’ manuscripts, pictures, books, historic accounts and feedback, the exhibition exhibits the evolution of their writing, a course of that was abruptly interrupted by the Civil War and subsequent exile.