LVI. Un Joven De Provecho: An Unpublished Play by B. Pérez Galdós

Abstract

When, in 1892, Galdós startled Spanish literary circles by his decision to turn dramatist, few of either his supporters or his detractors were aware of the fact that as far back as his student days he had already carried on a serious flirtation with the drama. Certainly in the confused discussions which his dramatic appearance as playwright precipitated in the press of Madrid, no more than an occasional passing reference was made to his previous essays at the theater. It seems that only two newspapers gave adequate space to Galdós' early preparation for the career of a dramatist and these reproduced an article by Eusebio Blasco, originally published in France. Because they are pertinent to our discussion, the principal facts in Blasco's article merit repetition.

Galdós' Doña Perfecta and Turgenev's Fathers and Sons: Two Interpretations of the Conflict between Generations

“…In a manner reminiscent of Gald6s' own mother, Dona Perfecta also destroys the love of a sincere, liberal-minded youth for an innocent girl. 36 Gald6s' statement that he knew all of Turgenev's works needs further study, but the discussion presented here indicates that he undoubtedly knew Fathers and Sons, and that his statement to the journalist Pavlovskii should be regarded as an accurate and sincere appraisal of his attitude toward Turgenev. Gald6s was usually very reluctant to discuss his sources of inspiration and his own creative techniques, but we know that when he did acknowledge an indebtedness to other writers (Dickens, Balzac, and Shakespeare, for example), he did so with utmost sincerity.…”