Gustavo Durán
Encyclopedia
Gustavo Durán Martínez was a Spanish composer, Lieutenant Colonel in the Spanish military, diplomat and United Nations
official.
, Spain in 1906, he moved with his family to Madrid at the age of four, and studied music. During his piano studies he befriended Federico García Lorca
, Salvador Dalí
, Buñuel
, Rafael Alberti
(some of whose poems he set to music) and other Residencia de Estudiantes
guests. In 1927 he composed a ballet, Fandango del Candil, for Spanish dancer Antonia Mercé
, La Argentina, and accompanied her on a European tour. In 1929 he moved to Paris where he studied under Paul Le Flem
of the Schola Cantorum and served, until 1934, as manager and secretary to the Spanish painter Nestor. In 1933 he became an employee of the Spanish section of Paramount Pictures, and continued in that role, after returning to Madrid, at Fono-Espana, Inc., where he dubbed and scored films for the Latin American market. Before the war, he was a leading figure in the Motorizada, the motorized section of the socialist youth movement associated with Prieto
.
. Later, he joined the PCE
. After that, he was the republican commander of one Mixed Brigade in the battle of the Corunna Road
in November 1936 and in the Battle of Brunete
he led the 69th division.He covered the retreat of the republican forces in the Maestrazgo
during the Aragon Offensive
and was one of the Repulican commanders in the defense of the XYZ Line
in 1938. He also served briefly in SIM, the (Servicio de Investigación Militar), as chief of the department for the Army of the Centre. In March 1939, when Franco's troops had reached Valencia, Durán escaped from Gandia, Spain, aboard a British destroyer, landing at Marseille and, eventually, London, where he married, on December 4, 1939, Bontë Romilly Crompton, a well-off American.
. From there he moved to the Music Division of the Pan American Union, Washington. In 1942, he was granted US citizenship and was transferred to the Havana embassy on the recommendation of his old friend Hemingway's recommendation, who had made him a character in his novel For Whom The Bell Tolls. In May 1945, he went to Buenos Aires, where he served as assistant to the Ambassador, Spruille Braden
.
, where he served as an officer in the Social Department of the Refugee Division.
He was accused that year by a U.S. Representative, J. Parnell Thomas
, of being an agent of the Russian police and a member of the Comintern
. In 1951, Senator Joseph McCarthy
, drawing on a scurrilous report written for the Spanish Falangist journal Arriba
(Madrid), denounced him as a communist and member of the Communist-dominated military intelligence, SIM. As a UN officer, he helped start Unesco
, CEPAL and was sent to Congo
in 1960. He died in Crete in 1969.
and Andre Malraux
's L'Espoir
.
Horacio Vázquez-Rial wrote El soldado de porcelana about him.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
official.
Early life
Born in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain in 1906, he moved with his family to Madrid at the age of four, and studied music. During his piano studies he befriended Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
, Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
, Buñuel
Buñuel
Buñuel is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti
Rafael Alberti Merello was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27....
(some of whose poems he set to music) and other Residencia de Estudiantes
Residencia de estudiantes
The Residencia de Estudiantes, literally the "Student Residence", is one of the original Spanish cultural centers in Madrid, Spain. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Residence was a prestigious cultural institution that helped foster and create the intellectual environment of...
guests. In 1927 he composed a ballet, Fandango del Candil, for Spanish dancer Antonia Mercé
La Argentina
Antonia Mercé y Luque , stage name La Argentina, was a dancer known for her creation of the neoclassical style of Spanish dance as a theatrical art...
, La Argentina, and accompanied her on a European tour. In 1929 he moved to Paris where he studied under Paul Le Flem
Paul Le Flem
Paul Le Flem was a French composer and music critic. Born in Brittany and living most of his life in Lezardrieux, Le Flem studied at the Schola Cantorum under Vincent d'Indy and Albert Roussel, later teaching at the same establishment, where his pupils included Erik Satie and André Jolivet...
of the Schola Cantorum and served, until 1934, as manager and secretary to the Spanish painter Nestor. In 1933 he became an employee of the Spanish section of Paramount Pictures, and continued in that role, after returning to Madrid, at Fono-Espana, Inc., where he dubbed and scored films for the Latin American market. Before the war, he was a leading figure in the Motorizada, the motorized section of the socialist youth movement associated with Prieto
Indalecio Prieto
Indalecio Prieto Tuero was a Spanish politician, one of the leading figures of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party in the years before and during the Second Spanish Republic.-Early years:...
.
Spanish civil war
He served in the army of the Spanish Republic from July 18, 1936 until the end of waar. In 1936 he was the chief of staff of KleberManfred Stern
Manfred Stern was a member of the GRU, Soviet military intelligence. He served as a spy in the United States, as a military advisor in China, and gained fame under his nom de guerre as General Kléber, leader of the International Brigade during the Spanish Civil War.- Early life :He was born into...
. Later, he joined the PCE
Communist Party of Spain
The Communist Party of Spain is the third largest national political party in Spain. It is the largest member organization of the United Left electoral coalition and has influence in the largest trade union in Spain, Workers' Commissions ....
. After that, he was the republican commander of one Mixed Brigade in the battle of the Corunna Road
Battle of the Corunna Road
The Battle of the Corunna Road was a battle of the Spanish Civil War from 13 December 1936 to 15 January 1937, northwest of Madrid.-Background:...
in November 1936 and in the Battle of Brunete
Battle of Brunete
The Battle of Brunete , fought 15 miles west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War...
he led the 69th division.He covered the retreat of the republican forces in the Maestrazgo
Maestrazgo
The Maestrazgo or Maestrat is a natural and historic mountainous region, located at the eastern end of the Iberian System mountain range, in Spain. It encompasses the north of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in Castellón province, and parts of the east of the Aragonese province of Teruel...
during the Aragon Offensive
Aragon Offensive
The Aragon Offensive was a Nationalist campaign during the Spanish Civil War, which began after the Battle of Teruel. The offensive began on March 7, 1938, and ended on April 19, 1938...
and was one of the Repulican commanders in the defense of the XYZ Line
XYZ Line
The XYZ Line, or Matallana Line, was a system of fortifications built during the Spanish Civil War in order to defend the capital of the Second Spanish Republic in Valencia, Spain...
in 1938. He also served briefly in SIM, the (Servicio de Investigación Militar), as chief of the department for the Army of the Centre. In March 1939, when Franco's troops had reached Valencia, Durán escaped from Gandia, Spain, aboard a British destroyer, landing at Marseille and, eventually, London, where he married, on December 4, 1939, Bontë Romilly Crompton, a well-off American.
Exile
In May 1940, Durán emigrated to New York, where he was employed by the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs to work at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
. From there he moved to the Music Division of the Pan American Union, Washington. In 1942, he was granted US citizenship and was transferred to the Havana embassy on the recommendation of his old friend Hemingway's recommendation, who had made him a character in his novel For Whom The Bell Tolls. In May 1945, he went to Buenos Aires, where he served as assistant to the Ambassador, Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden was an American diplomat, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the ambassador of various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs...
.
UN officer
In October, 1946, after rising to the position of special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State, he resigned from the State Department and entered the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, where he served as an officer in the Social Department of the Refugee Division.
He was accused that year by a U.S. Representative, J. Parnell Thomas
J. Parnell Thomas
John Parnell Thomas was a stockbroker and politician. He was elected to seven terms as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey...
, of being an agent of the Russian police and a member of the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. In 1951, Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
, drawing on a scurrilous report written for the Spanish Falangist journal Arriba
Arriba (newspaper)
Arriba was a Spanish daily newspaper. It was founded in Madrid 21 March 1935 by José Antonio Primo de Rivera as the official weekly newspaper of the Spanish Falange. On 5 March 1936 it was suspended by the government of the Second Spanish Republic. The suspension continued through the Spanish...
(Madrid), denounced him as a communist and member of the Communist-dominated military intelligence, SIM. As a UN officer, he helped start Unesco
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, CEPAL and was sent to Congo
Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville)
The Republic of the Congo was an independent republic established following the independence granted to the former colony of the Belgian Congo in 1960...
in 1960. He died in Crete in 1969.
In fiction
His figure inspired Hemingway's For Whom the Bell TollsFor Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to a republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As an expert in the use of explosives, he is assigned to blow up a...
and Andre Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
's L'Espoir
L'espoir
L'espoir is a 1945 Spanish black and white war film, directed by Boris Peskine and André Malraux, who wrote the novel L'Espoir for the film. The director won the 1945 Prix Louis Delluc award.-Cast:...
.
Horacio Vázquez-Rial wrote El soldado de porcelana about him.
External links
- Pictures from the Historical Archive of the Communist Party of Spain,