Aldecoa, Ignacio

b. 24 July 1925, Vitoria; d. 15 November 1969, Madrid

   Writer

   Aldecoa was one of a group of writers who experienced the Civil War in childhood, and who later formed the so-called Generación de Medio Siglo (Mid-Century Generation), which included Jesús Fernández Santos, Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio, Medardo Fraile, Alfonso Sastre and Carmen Martín Gaite. Aldecoa entered the University of Salamanca, officially to read philosophy, but neglected his studies in favour of literary pursuits. In 1944 he moved to Madrid, where he met his future wife, Josefina Rodríguez, whom he married in 1952, and who, as Josefina R.Aldecoa, was later to become a significant literary figure in her own right. In 1953 Aldecoa collaborated with Sánchez Ferlosio and Sastre in editing the Revista Española, founded by the distinguished scholar Antonio Rodríguez-Moñino, but in the difficult intellectual climate of the Franco era the journal folded after a year, owing to lack of subscribers. Aldecoa's main activity as a writer was in his preferred genre of the short story, in which he gained his first laurels, winning the Juventud Prize for "Seguir de pobres" (Always Poor). Several collections followed, of which the most notable are Espera de tercera clase (Third-Class Waiting Room) (1955), Arqueología (Archaeology) (1961) and Pájaros y espantapájaros (Birds and Scarecrows) (1963). His first novel, El fulgor y la sangre (Radiance and Blood) was short-listed for the Planeta Prize.

   Unlike many of his contemporaries, Aldecoa was able to devote himself full-time to writing, after Josefina founded a private school. In the 1960s he travelled widely in the US and in eastern and western Europe, feeding his experiences into his stories. Like most of the Generación de Medio Siglo, his work was influenced by the neo-realism of the contemporary Italian cinema.

   See also: novel

   Further reading

   - Fiddian, R.W. (1979) Ignacio Aldecoa, Boston, MA: Twayne (a highly accessible overview of the writer).

   - Landeira, R. and Mellizo, C. (eds) (1977) Ignacio Aldecoa, Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming (a useful collection of critical essays).

   EAMONN RODGERS