Una aproximación transnacional al absurdo en la obra de Miguel Mihura

Abstract

Abstract Una aproximación transnacional al absurdo en la obra de Miguel Mihura This thesis aims to elucidate in what sense the work of the Spanish author Miguel Mihura could be considered absurd as opposed to being described as distinctively Spanish “teatro disparatado”. This analysis is necessary since criticism tends to consider the theatre of Mihura as “disparatado” ignoring its connections with the European theatre of the absurd and therefore, restricting his work to the Spanish national context. I shall examine then the commonalities and the differences regarding the European theatre of the absurd. Furthermore, I intend to explain Mihura’s particular position between the popular and the avant-garde theatre by means of the analysis of three relevant plays and through the study of Mihura’s work in the Spanish cinema. The plays are: Tres Sombreros de Copa (1932), Viva lo imposible o el contable de estrellas (1939) and Ni pobre ni rico, sino todo lo contrario (1939). The Spanish adaptation of the Marx’s brothers film A night in the opera (1935), Mihura’s first script for the film Don Viudo de Rodríguez (1935), and the script of the film ¡Bienvenido, Mr Marshall! (1952) illustrate his position. Accordingly, a transnational approach to Mihura’s work, that includes theatre and cinema, is essential to explain how the absurd is not an exclusive phenomenon occurring in a unique context at a particular time but the result of an international rapport of authors from different nationalities and contexts. I shall base my approach on a definition of the cultural modernity under a global perspective.