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Gregorio Martínez Sierra (1881-1947), Spanish writer, dramatist and theatre director.
A key figure in the revival of the Spanish theatrical avant-garde in the early twentieth century, Gregorio Martínez Sierra was one of the few progressive dramatists whose productions achieved any measure of commercial success. Though his own plays were not distinguished by any notable originality, his contribution as a publisher and director was substantial. Through his publishing house, the aptly named Renacimiento, he translated Shakespeare and Maeterlinck and introduced the work of European playwrights including Bernard Shaw and Pirandello to Spain. As the director of Madrid's Teatro Eslava, Spain’s first art theatre, between 1917 and 1925 he produced both Spanish and foreign works in new styles, and it was at his invitation that Federico García Lorca created and staged, at the Eslava, his first play, El maleficio de la mariposa, in 1920.