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Four Plays
English (translation)
Original Spanish
Original Spanish
267 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1989
About the author
Jacinto Benavente
424 books34 followersJacinto Benavente y Martínez, a Spaniard, wrote his subtly satirical plays, which won the Nobel Prize of 1922 for literature.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacinto...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacinto...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 13, 2025
Overall: Would I say Jacinto Benavente is one of the best writers to have ever won the Nobel? No, I think he's definitely in the middle of the pack. For example, he's definitely not as great as George Bernard Shaw. But his plays are still great and fun reads, so I can't say I think he shouldn't have won, especially since it seems writers like him are rarer among Nobel laureates.
"His Widow's Husband" was a top-notch satire and a really good play. It follows the story of a man and his wife who plan to unveil a statue in the honor of the wife's former deceased husband but a book coming out is going to damage the reputation of the late husband. The play is a great satire of society and how it spends attention to empty appearances but it's also a fascinating look at the psychology of it characters, especially a relationship overshadowed by a previous one. It's both entertaining and well-written.
"The Bonds of Interest" is another social satire and a modern version of commedia dell’arte. About two scammers, but then actually falls in love with the daughter of the man they're trying to scam. It's hilarious, with greatly written characters, and a damning portrayal of the affluent society. A really great satire.
"The Evil Doers of Good" is about a group of conservative women in a community who have an absolute control over the lives of everyone. By the end of the play, characters are starting to rebel against them. It's not as great as the previous two plays but it's still a very engaging read and it shows how traditionalist power can be informal and based on customs. It's a good play.
"La Malquerida": completely unlike the other plays, this one is a tragedy and a melodrama involving unloving marriages, a murder mystery, incest, and multiple twists. It's extremely entertaining but the characters aren't very deep and what little characterizations they have is sacrificed in the service of twists coming out of nowhere. I don’t think this one is a great play outside its value as pure entertainment. It's more like a soap opera than good theater.
"His Widow's Husband" was a top-notch satire and a really good play. It follows the story of a man and his wife who plan to unveil a statue in the honor of the wife's former deceased husband but a book coming out is going to damage the reputation of the late husband. The play is a great satire of society and how it spends attention to empty appearances but it's also a fascinating look at the psychology of it characters, especially a relationship overshadowed by a previous one. It's both entertaining and well-written.
"The Bonds of Interest" is another social satire and a modern version of commedia dell’arte. About two scammers, but then actually falls in love with the daughter of the man they're trying to scam. It's hilarious, with greatly written characters, and a damning portrayal of the affluent society. A really great satire.
"The Evil Doers of Good" is about a group of conservative women in a community who have an absolute control over the lives of everyone. By the end of the play, characters are starting to rebel against them. It's not as great as the previous two plays but it's still a very engaging read and it shows how traditionalist power can be informal and based on customs. It's a good play.
"La Malquerida": completely unlike the other plays, this one is a tragedy and a melodrama involving unloving marriages, a murder mystery, incest, and multiple twists. It's extremely entertaining but the characters aren't very deep and what little characterizations they have is sacrificed in the service of twists coming out of nowhere. I don’t think this one is a great play outside its value as pure entertainment. It's more like a soap opera than good theater.
December 5, 2013
Nobel Prize Project
Year: 1922
Winner: Jacinto Benavente
Review: This consists of "His Widow's Husband", "The Bonds of Interest", "The Evil Doers of Good", and "La Malquerida".
"His Widow's Husband" was pure throwaway fluff. "The Bonds of Interest" and "The Evil Doers of Good" were comedies of manners, fairly amusing but sub-Wilde by far and basically worse than the older plays it was imitating. "La Malquerida" was actually a really good, simple drama and made me wish this collection had focused more on his dramas. Overall, this was worth reading, but pretty much unexciting.
Verdict: Even "La Malquerida", the best play in the collection, was hardly amazing. There's no originality here and the writing isn't good enough to make up for it. I understand that Benavente was very popular at the time, but he is totally forgotten today. That sounds about right to me.
Year: 1922
Winner: Jacinto Benavente
Review: This consists of "His Widow's Husband", "The Bonds of Interest", "The Evil Doers of Good", and "La Malquerida".
"His Widow's Husband" was pure throwaway fluff. "The Bonds of Interest" and "The Evil Doers of Good" were comedies of manners, fairly amusing but sub-Wilde by far and basically worse than the older plays it was imitating. "La Malquerida" was actually a really good, simple drama and made me wish this collection had focused more on his dramas. Overall, this was worth reading, but pretty much unexciting.
Verdict: Even "La Malquerida", the best play in the collection, was hardly amazing. There's no originality here and the writing isn't good enough to make up for it. I understand that Benavente was very popular at the time, but he is totally forgotten today. That sounds about right to me.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews