Biography

Laiglesia's earliest writing was for the satirical magazine La Ametralladora (= The Machine gun), which had been founded by Miguel Mihura. He was only 16 when he began contributing.

In 1976 Álvaro de Laiglesia married an English woman, Ann Heath. He died suddenly from a cerebral thrombosis while visiting his wife's family in Manchester, England.

His family felt that he needed a more secure career, and after the war ended he was sent to work with the Bank of Spain. However, he only lasted at the bank for a hundred days after which, keen to see something of the world, he jumped on board a steamer sailing to Havana. In Cuba his friend Pepín Rivero managed to get him a job with the Diario de la Marina (newspaper), with a weekly salary of ten pesos.

His most notable works include "Un náufrago en la sopa" ("A castaway in the soup", 1944), "Todos los ombligos son redondos" ("Navels are always round", 1956), "Yo soy Fulana de Tal" ("I am Mrs so-and-so", 1963), "Réquiem por una furcia" (1970) and "Una larga y cálida meada" ("A long warm leak", 1975).

He also composed a number of comedy screen plays for television, including "Consultorio" ("Consultation Room", 1961), "El tercer rombo" ("The Third diamond", 1966), "Historias Naturales" (1967-1968) and "Animales Racionales" ("Rational animals", 1972) with Antonio Casal and Manolo Gómez Bur.