Echegaray was seventy-two years old when he gained the prize; he was already called by some critics a “representative of the older generation.” Interest in his plays, however, has gained rather than waned, among critical scholars in every country, and his rank is assured among the romantic dramatists of this century. His seriousness, combined with keen wit and insight, has been compared with similar traits of Tolstoy. Both writers have emphasized the “dignity of suffering” for the sake of spiritual freedom. This is exampled in Echegaray’s _Madman or Saint_, already cited. Conscientious and sincere in his work, this Spanish dramatist has left a few plays of strong characterization and potent message to society, a message that has an element of idealism, flashing out amid the grim realities of life. JACINTO BENAVENTE The prize of 1922 has been awarded: Benavente, Jacinto, dramatic writer, Madrid, born 1866: “for the happy way in which he has pursued the honored traditions of the Spanish drama.”[154] Jacinto Benavente, to whom the Nobel prize was given in 1922, was acclaimed as especially worthy by those who sought for a representative of “the new generation” in Spanish drama--what was known as “the generation of 1898” which decried past methods and urged modern themes and viewpoints. Benavente was born in Madrid in 1866, a generation younger than Echegaray. His father was a prominent physician and the boy had stimulating home environment. He studied law for a brief time but he inclined towards writing and the theatre. He had some actual experiences “on the road” with theatrical troupes and with a circus, thus gaining first-hand information about theatrical devices and the needs of both actors and audiences. His first venture in print was as a poet, in 1893, but the next year he published a play, _Thy Brother’s House_. This and other immature plays received scanty notice until, in 1896, appeared _In Society_. Two years later _The Banquet of Wild Beasts_ focussed attention upon this daring, brilliant playwright. He became a leader among young professional men in Madrid who, following the Spanish-American War, were eager to renounce tradition and to revolutionize society by exposing its vices and weaknesses. They would punctuate “modernism” in thought and expression with ideals of poetry. A summary of this is found in _A Study of the Modern Drama_ by Barrett H. Clark (New York, 1925). Benavente is less radical than some of his literary associates in Spain, France, and Russia. He does not disdain “traditions,” if they ring true to life and art. He is graceful and versatile, writing plays of manner and characterization, satires on aristocracy and sympathetic scenes of peasant life. He compels his readers or spectators to _think_, if they will get stimulus from his plays like _The Truth_, _Autumnal Roses_, _The Magic of an Hour_, and _Field of Ermine_.