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José Manuel Correoso Rodenas, Account of an Unknown Representation of the Spanish Revolution: John Robertson’s Riego
DescriIn 1842, the Virginia congressman and lawyer John Robertson published his play Riego, or the Spanish Martyr, which appeared on The Southern Literary Messenger. Thirty years later, an abridged version of this drama would be also published. Beyond this second publication, the play has remained shadowed to the present day, even obviated by biographers and historians who have addressed Riego and the Trienio Liberal. Only small mentions in American literary histories have survived. As the title indicates, the play is about the Spanish military and political leader Rafael del Riego, head of the liberal outbreak of 1820. More specifically, it is about his last days in prison. Riego, and his revolution, with that aura of martyrdom, surely served as a model to Robertson, a liberal politician.
In consequence, the aim of this article is to rescue this drama from the oblivion in which it has been located during the last 180 years. Between 2020 and 2023, several Spanish universities were commemorating the bicentennial of Riego’s revolution. Although these homages have been mainly promoted from the field of History, Literary and American Studies can also offer a testimony to one of the most relevant figures of the Spanish nineteenth century.ption
Reviews
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