Forgotten Hollywood

Manny P. here… 

   Spain commemorated the 400th anniversary of the death of its best-known writer, Miguel de Cervantes on Saturday. Events took place throughout the country celebrating the author of Don Quixote, one of the most influential books in world literature, and a work generally regarded as the precursor of the modern novel. Some artists and academics have been critical of Spain’s central government for not allocating funds to organize events on a scale similar to those celebrating William Shakespeare’s life in Britain.

   In Alcala de Henares, Cervantes’ birthplace, King Felipe VI honored Mexican author Fernando del Paso with the Cervantes Prize and Culture Minister Inigo Mendez highlighted his contribution to the development of the novel, combining tradition and modernity, as Cervantes did. The Cervantes Award is handed out each year on April 23rd. It coincides with UNESCO’s World Book Day, which promotes literature and commemorates Cervantes (and Shakespeare, who died on that date in 1616).

   The long-dead Bard is one of Britain’s leading cultural ambassadors, and the anniversary of his death on April 23rd is being marked across Britain with parades, church services and — of course — stage performances. In the playwright’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company is mounting a stage extravaganza with performances by stars including Judi Dench, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen — and even Prince Charles, who is slated to make a brief appearance as a performer in the televised show. President Barack Obama took a break from political talks in London to tour Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on Saturday, listening to Hamlet’s soliloquy and admiring the open-air venue — a recreation of the theater, built in 1599, where many of the Bard’s plays were first performed.

   And, if you decide to Google looking for events, you will be reminded of Shakespeare’s continued influence.

   After all, the play’s the thing… Even for the celebrated Bard and The Man of La Mancha.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 23rd, 2016 at 11:18 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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