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Francisco Ayala obituary

Source: The Guardian

Nov 04, 2009

Summary

One of the greats of Spanish literature, he spent decades in exile in the Franco era

The Spanish literary lion Francisco Ayala, who has died aged 103, enjoyed a remarkable privilege: attending a major international conference to mark his own centenary. With dozens of books to his name, he was more acclaimed for novels and short stories than for his stylish textbooks on social sciences, although he saw his academic and creative works as an organic whole.

Ayala lived through the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, defended the Spanish republic that was declared in 1931 and spent decades in exile as a result of the fascist regime that followed. He once declared: "I bear no ill-will against anyone over my exile. What I do resent is the human condition, sometimes seen at its very worst – but that, you can find anywhere." This outlook pervaded his writings. He portrayed an essential goodness in humanity that was easily dislodged in times of crisis, when people will readily exploit and oppress others. His collection Los Usurpadores (The Usurpers, 1949) reflects his view of

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