Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez de Castelao (30 January 1886 – 7 January 1950), most commonly known as simply Castelao, was a Spanish writer of Galician language and one of the main symbolsfact|date=October 2007 of Galicia. As a politician, caricaturist, painter, and writer, he is one of the leading figuresfact|date=October 2007 of Galician identity and culture, and one of the main namesfact|date=October 2007 behind the cultural movement "Xeración Nós". He was also one of the founders and president of the "Partido Galeguista" (Galicianist Party).

Early life and youth (1886–1929)

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez de Castelao was born on 30 January 1886 in Rianxo, Galicia, Spain.Castelao spent his childhood and adolescence in Santa Rosa de Toay, Argentina. In 1900, the Castelao family returned to Rianxo. in a collection of paintings. His paintings would also depict casual moments of Galician life and culture.

In 1916, he moved to Pontevedra, where he joined the "Irmandades da Fala" ("Brotherhoods of the Language"). Castelao developed an emotional attachment with Pontevedra and frequently claimed he wanted to be considered a native of that city; he even expressed a will to be buried there and not back in his original Rianxo or elsewhere. [ [http://www.concellopontevedra.eu/castelao-pontevedra/ruta.html Castelao in a letter to the President of the Pontevedra Centre in Buenos Aires, 1947] ] Also in 1916, he participated in the "Asembleia Nazonalista de Lugo" ("Nationalist Assembly of Lugo"), signing a keyfact|date=October 2007 declaration for the history of Galician nationalism.

In 1920, he starts publishing the magazine "Nós", together with Vicente Risco and Otero Pedrayo. That same year he travelled through France, the Netherlands and Germany. In 1922, he wrote the novel "Un Ollo de Vidro" and in 1924 he joined the "Seminário de Estudos Galegos" ("Seminar of Galician Studies") and founded the "Coral Polifónica de Pontevedra" ("Pontevedra Polyphonic Choir"; as he was an amateur musician). Two years, in 1926, he published "Cousas". He travelled to Brittany in 1928 to study stone crosses and publish "As Cruces de Pedra na Bretaña". That is also the year when his only son dies at the age of 14.

Political career (1930–1950)

From 1930 Castelao's political activism intensifies even further. Castelao's life and work always revolved around politics and his Galician nationalist ideas. In his book "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008 he states that all his works, talent and efforts would always be used for the profit of the Galician cause.

In 1930, he founded the "Federación Republicana Galega" ("Galician Republican Federation") at Lestrove Palace and participated in the meetings of the "Partido Nacionalista Republicano Galego" ("Galician Republican Nationalist Party") and in the assembly for the Federal State of Galicia. The next year he published the book "Nós" and became the official representative of the "Partido Galeguista" to the Spanish Parliament. In 1934, he published "Retrincos", "Os Dous de Sempre" and the a re-edition of "Cousas". [ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0950518883/reviews/026-8154420-3350044#09505188833200 English edition of "Cousas", with the title "Things" (2001). Note: external link to Amazon.co.uk] ]

He became member of the "Real Academia Galega" ("Royal Galician Academy") in 1933, and shortly after that, in 1935, he was forced into exile by the Spanish government to the Spanish city of Badajoz, in Extremadura, where he worked as a civil servant. [In fact, "Sempre en Galiza" (1944) opens with an account of Castelao's days in Badajoz, and why (in his opinion) he had been sent there] It was then where he began to write what would become his key work, "Sempre en Galiza". In 1936 he gained a seat at the Spanish parliament, this time representing the "Frente Popular" alliance (Popular Front, which included the Galicianist Party).

The Civil War began whilst Castelao was in Madrid presenting the results of the referendum for the Galician Statute of Autonomy, which had been approved by 98 per cent of voters, and in which Castelao had played a criticalfact|date=October 2007 role together with his personal friend Alexandre Bóveda. During the war he organised the "Milicias Galegas" ("Galician Militias") in collaboration with the Spanish Communist Party and declared his support to the government of the Spanish Republic. As the Francoist troops advanced Castelao moved to Valencia - where he still had time to publish "Galicia Martir" and "Atila en Galicia" - and later moved to Barcelona.

In 1938, he was sent by the Spanish government to the Soviet Union, the United States and Cuba, in order to obtain support for the Republic. From New York City he cruised to Buenos Aires, where in 1941 he performed for the first time the play "Os vellos non deben de namorarse", Castelao's contribution to Galician theatre.

In 1944, while in Buenos Aires, he finished and published a seminalfact|date=October 2007 work of Galician political theory: "Sempre en Galiza" (lit. "Always in Galicia"), which was in fact a compilation of three books (three parts) and a number of other texts. "Sempre en Galiza" is a work of paramountfact|date=October 2007 importance as it sets the basis for the ideological development of contemporary Galician nationalism. It has been considered one of the most advanced political texts of its time. [Alonso Montero, X. (1975): "Castelao". Madrid, Akalpage number|date=September 2008.] [Carvalho Calero, R. (1989): "Escritos sobre Castelao". Sotelo Blanco, Compostelapage number|date=September 2008.] Also in that year he became the first president of the "Consello de Galiza", the Government of Galicia in exile. In 1945, together with Catalonian and Basque intellectuals in exile, he founded the magazine "Galeuzca" as an evocation of the political alliance of 1933 between Galicia, Catalonia and the Basque Country. In 1946 he was appointed as Minister of the Spanish Republican government in exile, living in Paris. [Garrido Couceiro, X.M. (2001): "A actividade política de Castelao no exilio: Castelao ministro", in "Congreso Internacional o Exilio Galego", Compostela, p. 345-352] In 1947, back in Buenos Aires and after being diagnosed with lung cancer, he published "As Cruces de Pedra na Galiza".

Castelao died on 7 January 1950 at the hospital of the "Centro Gallego" ("Galician Centre") in Buenos Aires. The Argentine Senate and the City of Buenos Aires erected monuments to honour him. Since then, most of Castelao's work has been translated and published into a numberfact|date=October 2007 of languages. In 1984, Castelao's remains were brought back to Galicia and he was buried at the "Panteón de Galegos Ilustres" ("Pantheon of Illustrious Galicians"), Bonaval, in the capital city of Santiago de Compostela. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y_NEsFeQq4 Video showing the moving of Castelao's remains to the Bonaval Pantheon] ]

Political views

Castelao was a Galician nationalist (heir of the early Galicianism), federalist, pacifist, progressist and internationalist. He accepted the autonomy granted to Galicia by the Second Spanish Republic as a tool to construct a possible Galician State, in federation with other Iberian nations. He was also a convinced pro-European. He wrote in "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008 that one of his dreams was to "one day see the emergence of a 'United States of Europe' ".

At the end of his life, and as expressed in the final parts of "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008, Castelao became somewhat disappointed with the Spanish Republican politicians in exile, and began to discuss the advantages of a completely independent Galician State.

Idea of Spain

Castelao always used the term of "Hespaña" instead of "España", taken directly from the old name Hispania. By using "Hespaña" he was in fact referring to the Iberian Peninsula as a whole, and not just to the country known as Spain. In fact, he would use the term "España" in a depreciative way, an example of the "past" and what "should be avoided". It was his ideal that a federation of "Iberian Nations" should emerge to create this new "Hespaña". For Castelao these nations were: Spain, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Portugal and Galicia. He also implied that apart from creating the political conditions for it, cultural conditions (education) should also be provided.

Cita|(...) "Hespaña", a name we had to sweeten by adding a letter in order to make it respectable to our eyes, since all we can say about its government is that it is hateful because it is even more hypocritical than simply tyrannical. If we remove of the word "España" all that it has of Castilian legacy (we just have to add a "h" to derive it from "Hispania"), we can embrace with it all the Peninsula, making it a synonymous of Iberia.|Castelao, "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008, 1944

Castelao did not support the classical idea of Iberian Federalism, as this advocated for the union of the two Iberian States, Spain and Portugal as such, and not of what he considered to be the real five nations of Iberia. He pointed out that before these nations could federate the Spanish State should "break up" first, so all nations could pact entering the new federation on equal political terms, as free-states. He resented that Spain had a desproportionate influence from Castile, which was taking over the other nations and regions.

Then again, Castelao seemed to have gained a sympathy for the idea of full independence for Galicia in the last years of his life, as succinctly mentioned in "Sempre in Galiza" and in a number of late texts and letters.

Language

Although bilingual in Galician and Spanish, Castelao always wrote and published in Galician, with very rare exceptions. He was a keen defender of Galician culture and considered the language to be the key element of cohesion among the Galician people. In "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008 he stated "If we are Galician that is because of the language". Castelao often criticised the imposition of Spanish language in Galicia, and demanded for Galician to become an official language and thus the preferred language in the administration and education.

Castelao could, in a way, be considered a pre-reintegrationist as he claimed that Galician and Portuguese had not just a common origin, but also a "common future"page number|date=September 2008. In his travels to Portugal, and sporadically to Brazil while residing in Argentina, Castelao was impressed with how easily he could use his native Galician in order to communicate freely with Portuguese speakers. [ [http://www.agal-gz.org/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=11 Selected quotes of Castelao on language] . Access date 28 September 2008] [ [http://issuu.com/fromgaliza/docs/dossier-vozpropria-19/6 Comments on Castelao and his views on language from "Dossier Voz Própria"] . Access date 28 September 2008]

Nevertheless, Castelao never used Portuguese ortography in his writings, despite affirming that "I hope that one day Galician and Portuguese will, gradually and naturally, merge". [In a personal letter addressed to historian Sánchez Albornoz, and later collected in "Sempre en Galiza"page number|date=September 2008] Indeed, Castelao's political writings were addressed to a Galician audience mostly, hence he used a type of language and spelling that could be easily understood by all. Castelao always prioritisedfact|date=October 2007 his native language as a tool to unite Galicians. He did make use of old Galician words though, often common in Portuguese, as a way to progressively introduce them into colloquial speech; for example his preference for the term "Galiza" instead of "Galicia" for the name of the country.

Partial bibliography

* Cego da romería (1913)
* Diario (1921)
* Un ollo de vidro (1922)
* Memorias dun esquelete (1922)
* Cousas (1926, 1929)
* Cincoenta homes por dez reás (1930)
* As cruces de pedra na Bretaña (1930)
* Nós (1931)
* Os dous de sempre (1934)
* Retrincos (1934)
* Galicia Mártir (1937)
* Atila en Galicia (1937)
* Milicianos (1938)
* Sempre en Galiza (1944)
* Os vellos non deben de namorarse (play represented in 1941, published posthumously in 1953)
* As cruces de pedra na Galiza (published posthumously in 1950)

Notes

References

*"O nacionalismo galego", Beramendi, J. and Núñez Seixas, X.M., Vigo, A Nosa Terra, 1996
*"Castelao humorista", López, S., Santiago de Compostela, Centro Ramón Piñeiro, 1996
*"Fundamentos antropolóxicos da obra de Castelao", González Fernandez, A., Santiago de Compostela, Centro Ramón Piñeiro, 1999
*"Castelao, propagandista da República en Norteamérica", González López, E., Sada, Do Castro, 2000
*"Castelao, unha historia do nacionalismo galego", Méixome Quinteiro, C., Vigo, Do Cumio, 2000
*"Castelao, defensa e ilustración do idioma galego", Monteagudo, H., Vigo, Galaxia, 2000
*"Arredor de Castelao", García Negro, M.P., Vigo, A Nosa Terra, 2001
*"Castelao e o Galeuzca", Estévez, X., Santiago de Compostela, Laiovento, 2002
*"Castelao Pintor", Seixas Seoane, M.A., Vigo, Galaxia, 2006

External links

* [http://www.museocastelao.org/museo.html Museo Castelao.org] – Biography, bibliography, museum information (in Galician)
* [http://usuarios.lycos.es/Celtic_Galiza/castelao.html Biography of Castelao] (in English)
* [http://www.agal-gz.org/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=11 Selected quotes from Castelao on language and politics] (in Galician)
* [http://www.tallerediciones.com/cuza/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=72&mode=flat&order=0&thold=-1 "Castelao y Casares Quiroga"] – article about Castelao and Santiago Casares Quiroga (in Spanish)
* [http://www.unomaha.edu/esc/2005Proceedings/TheoreticalConcept.pdf "Theoretical Conceptualization of Emigration and Exile in Alfonso Rodriguez Castelao's "Sempre en Galiza"] , by Mel Bohn (2006). Retrieved 27 September 2008.

See also

* Partido Galeguista (1931)
* Galician nationalism
* Galician Statute of Autonomy (1936)
* Galicianism (Galicia)