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José María Gironella Pous

ホセ・マリア・ジロネラ・プス

Jose Maria Gironella Pous

Aliases: Josep Maria Gironella i Pous

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1917-12-31 （Darnius, Girona, Catalonia, Spain）
Died
2003-01-03 （Arenys de Mar, Catalonia, Spain） age 85
Nationality
Spain
Languages
Spanish, Catalan
Religion
Roman Catholic
Residence History
Darnius (birthplace) → Paris (residence) → Helsinki (residence) → Arenys de Mar (retirement residence)

Career

Occupations
Author, Novelist, Poet
Active Years
1946-2003
Influenced By
Religious education and Catholic faith, Contemporary Spanish literature and historical events (experience of the Spanish Civil War)

Education

Seminary (early education)
Period: 約1927–1929（年齢10–12）
Country: Spain
Attended a seminary between ages 10 and 12; no clear records of higher education degrees.

Awards

Premi Nadal
1946
Work: A Man
Organization: Ediciones Destino (awarding body)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Cypresses Believe in God

1953 Novel 1010 pages

A two-part novel set in Girona that follows a family's life from 1931 until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Written from a Catholic viewpoint, it examines political and social divisions and conflicts of faith.

Spanish Civil WarReligion and faithFamilyPolitical polarization
Translations
  • 1955 English translation by Harriet de Onís

One Million Dead

1961 Novel

Sequel to The Cypresses Believe in God following the Alvear family through the Spanish Civil War, depicting the course of the war and its effects on individuals.

Effects of warDeath and lossPolitical conflict
Translations
  • English translation by Joan MacLean (known translation)

The Peace Has Burst

1966 Novel

Third novel in the cycle (of a four-novel sequence), dealing with postwar society and personal recovery.

Postwar societyReconciliation and recovery
Translations
  • 1969 English translation by Joan MacLean

Men Cry Alone

Novel

A fourth novel in the sequence that has not been translated into English.

LonelinessEmotional repression

Bibliography

  • Ha llegado el invierno y tú no estás aquí (poetry, 1946)
  • Un hombre (novel, 1946)
  • Los cipreses creen en Dios (novel, 1953)
  • Un millón de muertos (novel, 1961)
  • Ha estallado la paz (novel, 1966)
  • Los hombres lloran solos (novel, year unknown)

Translations of Works

  • The Cypresses Believe in God — 1955 English translation by Harriet de Onís
  • One Million Dead — English translation by Joan MacLean

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realist narrativeDetailed historical depictionNarration from a Catholic viewpoint
Recurring Motifs
Conflicts of religion and faithFamily and intergenerational tensionsPolitical division and reconciliation

Health

  • Cerebral embolism
    2003年（死因）
    Died in 2003 of a cerebral embolism at age 85.

Legacy

Gironella achieved major success with his multi-volume novels on the Spanish Civil War, becoming a best-selling postwar Spanish author. At the same time, his handling of historical episodes has drawn scholarly criticism and controversy.

Archives

  • Holdings and related materials are likely held in national libraries such as the Biblioteca Nacional de España

Quotes

  • “The sane and the moderate, caught helplessly in a dilemma they did not ask for, must throw in their lot with one violent party or another till mercifully the passions of the war submerge them and confirm their decision.”
    Source: Gerald Brenan (The New York Times Book Review, 1955) (1955)

Trivia

  • Attended a seminary in his youth.
  • At the start of the Spanish Civil War he joined Nationalist forces and served with Carlist Requetés.
  • Was imprisoned in Figueres in 1940.
  • Retired to Arenys de Mar and was buried in the cemetery of Arenys de Munt.