Francisco Camba
Childhood
Born in 1882, Francisco (Paco) Camba showed his devotion to literature from a very young age. In 1898, he qualified as a Teacher and one of his first destinations was Portomarín. He took advantage of his stay in this town to contribute to different media outlets of that time such as La Idea moderna or El Lucense. After working in other places, he finally decided to move to Madrid to pursue his vocation as a novelist, a career that he had begun in 1900.
Childhood
Born in 1882, Francisco (Paco) Camba showed his devotion to literature from a very young age. In 1898, he qualified as a Teacher and one of his first destinations was Portomarín. He took advantage of his stay in this town to contribute to different media outlets of that time such as La Idea moderna or El Lucense. After working in other places, he finally decided to move to Madrid to pursue his vocation as a novelist, a career that he had begun in 1900.
Youth and anarchism
He moved to the Spanish capital in 1902 and there he met great intellectuals of that time, including Valle-Inclán himself. Camba contributed to different media outlets, especially El Imparcial. He became a regular at the literary gatherings that took place in the Nuevo Café de Levante and the Horchatería de Candelas, where he met authors such as Rubén Darío or Pío and Ricardo Baroja.
After his time in Buenos Aires, he returned to Madrid to continue his literary work. The time of the Spanish Civil War, which he spent in the capital of Spain, was especially turbulent, stimulating him to create new works.
His work
His work is divided into several periods, of which two stand out. The first of these focuses on the costumbrista novel (featuring local customs and manners), among which we can highlight the publication of Los nietos de Ícaro, considered the first Spanish novel about aviation. Also noteworthy is the book El velloino de plata, centred on emigration to America.
The second period belongs to the genre of historical novel. In this case, and as a result of his stay in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, the Episodios Contemporáneos stand out. Following in the footsteps of Pérez Galdós, his writings combined fiction with the reality of that time. Of major importance is his autobiographical novel Madridgrado (1939), which reflects his experiences during the Spanish Civil War.
Francisco Camba’s works were very well received during his time. However, that is not the case today, unlike those of his brother, Julio Camba, whose publications are still well renowned. Francisco died in 1948 in Madrid, at the age of 65.
His work
His work is divided into several periods, of which two stand out. The first of these focuses on the costumbrista novel (featuring local customs and manners), among which we can highlight the publication of Los nietos de Ícaro, considered the first Spanish novel about aviation. Also noteworthy is the book El velloino de plata, centred on emigration to America.
The second period belongs to the genre of historical novel. In this case, and as a result of his stay in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, the Episodios Contemporáneos stand out. Following in the footsteps of Pérez Galdós, his writings combined fiction with the reality of that time. Of major importance is his autobiographical novel Madridgrado (1939), which reflects his experiences during the Spanish Civil War.
Francisco Camba’s works were very well received during his time. However, that is not the case today, unlike those of his brother, Julio Camba, whose publications are still well renowned. Francisco died in 1948 in Madrid, at the age of 65.
