Madrid remembers Juan Martínez Villergas with this street. Who was this man? Martínez Villergas was a 19th-century Spanish writer. He was also a poet and a politician.
Juan Martínez Villergas was born in Gomeznarro in 1817. He died in Zamora in 1894. He lived a life full of political activity. His ideas were predominantly republican. However, they were also conservative and nationalistic. This made him a target.
Martínez Villergas suffered imprisonment. He faced ideological persecution common for members of the Democratic Party. This was during the reign of Antonio Cánovas del Castillo. Despite the repression, periods of leniency allowed him to publish his works. Later in life, he was expelled from the Republican party.
Martínez Villergas attacked General Baldomero Espartero’s regency in “El baile de las brujas”. This translates to “The Dance of the Witches”. But he later became a fervent supporter of Espartero. He even dedicated works to Espartero. These included “El baile de la piñata” and “Paralelo entre la vida militar de Espartero y Narváez”.
General Ramón María Narváez never forgave him. Several moderate politicians also held grudges. This was because of his work “Los políticos en camisa”. Francisco Salmerón defended him. But Martínez Villergas was still imprisoned and exiled to Paris in 1852.
Espartero appointed Martínez Villergas as consul in Newcastle in 1855. O’Donnell, fearing his sharp writing, sent him to Haiti. But Narváez dismissed him. Then he traveled. He went to Cuba in 1857. He visited Mexico in 1858. He returned to Cuba in 1859. He also visited France, England, and the United States.
In Cuba, Martínez Villergas founded the newspaper “El Moro Muza”. It ran from 1861 to 1871. In it, he attacked separatists. Back in Spain, from 1871 to 1874, he was elected deputy to the Cortes.
In Buenos Aires, he published the weekly “Antón Perulero” in 1875. He had a debate with Juan María Gutiérrez. Gutiérrez criticized Villergas’ republicanism and conservatism. He also clashed with Domingo Faustino Sarmiento in “Sarmenticidio”. In Peru, he became friends with Ricardo Palma. Martínez Villergas finally returned to Spain in 1889.
Martínez Villergas founded many satirical publications. These were short-lived due to censorship. They also faced lawsuits. Some examples include “El Tío Camorra”, “Jeremías”, and “Don Circunstancias”. He also contributed to magazines. These included “El Látigo” and “La España Moderna”.
He published “Poesías jocosas y satíricas” in 1842. He modified its contents in later editions. He removed personal attacks. Censorship targeted his texts. He was on the blacklist of the official magazine “La Censura.” He died poor and ignored by the public. Today his work is valued for its wit. He is seen as a writer of customs.
Martínez Villergas used pseudonyms. These included El Tío Camorra and El Moro Muza. His dramatic work includes theatrical parodies. Examples include “Los amantes de Chinchón” and “El ciego de Orleans”. His work often satirized romantic attitudes. These included suicide for love and duels.
As a narrator, he wrote “La vida en el chaleco” in 1859. It was an autobiographical novel. “Los misterios de Madrid” is inspired by Eugène Sue’s “Los misterios de París”. In “Los espadachines”, he condemned duels.
In “Poetas españoles contemporáneos”, he saw Romanticism as a social revolution. He valued Larra as a master of criticism. He admired Bretón de los Herreros. He criticized Antonio Gil y Zárate. He did not think much of the Duke of Rivas. Nor did he esteem José de Espronceda and José Zorrilla.
As you travel along Calle de Martínez Villergas, remember this multifaceted man. He was a writer, politician, and satirist. He lived a life marked by controversy and creativity.