Theatre Plays by Antonio José da Silva (O Judeu)

Volume I: "Vida del Grande Don Quijote de la Mancha y del Gordo Sancho Panza" and "Esopaida o Vida de Esopo", with a foreword by Jacobo Kaufmann, translator of the plays. Editorial Certeza, Zaragoza, 2006.

Antonio José da Silva (the Jew) was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1705, and deported to Lisbon as a child, together with his parents, brothers and sisters, all of them accused of practising Judaism. He studied law in Coimbra and worked in his father's law studio. He was twice aprehended by the Inquisition, ferociously tortured, and finally burned on the stake in an auto de fe that took place in 1739. Nowhere in the inquistorial files is there any mention of his career in the theatre,
Nevertheless we are dealing with the most important Portuguese playwright of the 18th century, the author of at least eight great plays, almost all of them performed in a puppet theatre, and some turned into operas. The texts of all six have been preserved in the Portuguese language. One or two were translated into French, but none into Spanish.
For the first time in three hundred years someone has taken this task upon himself. Jacobo Kaufmann has begun translating the two first plays, in order of their performance: "Life of the Grande Don Quijote de la Mancha and the Fat Sancho Panza" (1733), and "Aesopaide or The Life of Aesop" (1734). He has collected them into one volume, adding a foreword with biographic elements of its author and information about his plays, the circumstances of their performances and publications, against the historic background in Portugal at the time. Now these plays can be read by a large public in Spain and Hispanic America, as well as being staged and performed by a fairly large amount of theatres worldwide.

E-mail: vn18548@netvision.net.il Espacio cedido por ARGENTORES