UNAMUNO HOUSE MUSEUM

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (1864 - 1936)

His life spanned: 36 years of the 19th century, 36 years of the 20th century

Biography

1864-1879

Born on September 29th, on Ronda Street in old Bilbao, where the house with a commemorative plaque is still preserved today. He was the third of six children born to Félix de Unamuno, a merchant who had made a small fortune in Mexico, and Salomé Jugo.

While still a very young child, he experienced two events that would shape his character and which he would later reflect upon in his early works: the death of his father, and the siege of Bilbao with the outbreak of the Third Carlist War.

Both these childhood and youth experiences, among many others, are present in his works Recuerdos de niñez y de mocedad and Paz en la guerra.

1880-1890

He moved to Madrid to study Philosophy and Humanities at the University, publishing his first article and solidifying his relationship with Concha Lizárraga, whom he had known since childhood.

He completed his university studies in 1883 and earned his doctorate with his thesis "Crítica del problema sobre el origen y prehistoria de la raza vasca". He worked as a teacher, collaborated with various national newspapers, and prepared for competitive examinations for professorships at high schools and universities to fill vacancies in different Spanish cities.

1891-1899

After several failed attempts, he secured the position of Professor of Greek Language at the University of Salamanca. He arrived in this city already married and lived in various rented residences. His first son, Fernando, was born in Bilbao. He then moved to a house in Plaza de Gabriel y Galán, where his children Pablo, Raimundo, Salomé, and Felisa would be born.

During this period, he joined the Socialist Group of Bilbao - from 1894 to 1897 - and published En torno al casticismo, Paz en la guerra, La Esfinge, La Venda, as well as numerous articles in Spanish and Hispanic-American press. Furthermore, the cruel and incurable illness of his son Raimundín provoked a deep personal and religious crisis.

1900-1923

At the beginning of the 1900 academic year, Unamuno was the professor tasked with delivering the inaugural speech, which proved so innovative in its educational proposals that it led to his election as Rector of the University.

Following his appointment, he moved to the Rector's residence at the University, next to the Patio de Escuelas, where he would live until his ministerial dismissal in 1914. In this same house, the rest of his children --José, María, Rafael, and Ramón-- would be born, and Raimundín would pass away.

In "la Rectoral" - today the Casa Museo - he would publish Tres ensayos, Paisajes, De mi país, Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho, Poesías, Del sentimiento trágico de la vida, Niebla, etc.

When he had to leave the University residence in 1914, he moved to Bordadores Street, next to the so-called "Casa de las muertes" and the Ursuline Convent, maintaining his committed stance towards society and initiating intense political activity.

During World War I, he supported the Allies against the Germanophiles, visiting the Italian front with Azaña and Américo Castro. He was a candidate for deputy for the Republican party of Biscay. He maintained an open confrontation against King Alfonso XIII, leading to his prosecution for insulting the monarch, being sentenced to prison, and subsequently pardoned.

During this period, he published his most well-known works: El Cristo de Velázquez, La tía Tula, Rosario de sonetos líricos, Abel Sánchez, and enjoyed well-deserved recognition and admiration.

1924-1930

His persistent campaign against the monarchy and the military Directorate of General Primo de Rivera led to his exile to the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, where he remained in 1924 until, that same year, he fled to France, even though he had been pardoned, vowing not to return to Spain until Primo de Rivera left office.

There he joined Eduardo Ortega y Gasset, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, and other Spanish exiles.

1930-1936

Keeping his promise, he returned to his homeland with the fall of the dictator, experiencing an overwhelming reception on his journey from Hendaye to Salamanca, where he resumed his position as Professor of History of the Castilian Language at the University.

During these years, he premiered many of his theatrical works - El Otro, Sombras de sueño, Medea - and ran in the municipal elections for the Republican-Socialist coalition, securing a councilorship and proclaiming the Republic from the town hall balcony. He was named Honorary President of the municipal corporation for life, President of the Public Instruction Council, Deputy to the Cortes, Rector of the University of Salamanca and later Rector for life, Honorary Citizen of the Republic, and was proposed for the Spanish Academy and for the Nobel Prize. However, he eventually distanced himself from the Republican government and adhered to the military uprising in early 1936.

Following the confrontation with General Millán Astray during the celebration of Día de la Raza that took place on October 12, 1936, in the Paraninfo (main hall) of the University, Miguel de Unamuno confined himself to his house on Bordadores Street under police surveillance. He passed away on December 31, 1936, after having endured the deaths of his wife and his daughter Salomé.