Rafael tasis and the theatre

The dedication of Rafael Tasis (Barcelona, 1906 - Paris, 1966) to drama was to become one of the least known aspects of his intense, multifaceted devotion to Catalan letters. This article analyses Tasis' involvement, after his return in 1948, in the activism of the period of resumption of Catalan drama ("les Vetllades de Teatre Íntim, "l'Agrupació Dramàtica de Barcelona and the Joan Santamaria prize) and, drawing on unpublished material, brings to light new information about the pieces that he produced in the 1950s and 1960s: Ella i els altres (1952, banned), Gulliver i els gegants (1952), Parallel 1934 (1953, written together with Josep M. Poblet), Un home entre herois (1956, Àngel Guimerà prize 1954, published in 1958) and La maleta (1960). Special attention is paid to the first performances, Mexico 1956 and Barcelona 1958, of his most important work Un home entre herois. In a devastated postwar period, Tasis' will to dignify Catalan drama met with insuperable censorship and structural difficulties.