Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca is a Granadan author and playwright born in a rural Spanish town. Lorca spent much of his career in Madrid, where he joined the newly formed Generation of '27, a surrealist literary group that commemorated the 300th anniversary of poet Luis de Góngora's death. Among the ranks of this group was famed Spanish painter Salvador Dalí as well as other renowned Spanish artists.

Lorca's first book was published in1919, and his first play was released a mere year later. Shortly after these initial publications, García Lorca discovered his homosexuality, becoming somewhat of a theme in much of his works. In 1928, Lorca published a collection of poetry called Romancero Gitano, including such works as "Prendimiento de Antoñito el Camborio."  Some characteristics of the poems are that they are contemporary in nature, start in medias res, and reflect characteristics of medieval ballads.

The fame that this collection of poems brought García Lorca fractured his romantic relationship with Salvador Dalí, and he plunged into a state of depression. Regardless. just two years after, Lorca wrote his play La Casa de Bernarda Alba, which explored Spanish social dynamics and interpersonal relations. A final notable work of García Lorca's was Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías.

Lorca's work brought him great fame and attention, so he chose to spend some time in the Americas, staying in both Cuba and New York. Contrarily, the recognition he was receiving led to his assassination during the Spanish Civil War by a group of fascist soldiers. Many suspect that he was targeted for his left-leaning political views and sexual orientation. Whatever the case, the career of a great mind in literature was unjustly cut short.