Although Antonio Machado's time in Segovia is not very well known, it was very fruitful and creative from a literary point of view.
In the house now numbered 5 Calle Desamparados, Machado wrote much of his theatrical work, created two of his most famous characters – Juan de Mairena and Abel Martín – and met his new muse, Guiomar, with whom he would meet at weekends in Madrid.
In this city, he wrote plays together with his brother Manuel, works such as “La Duquesa de Benamejí”, “Las Adelfas” and “La Lola se va a los puertos”, the latter of which has been made into a film on several occasions.
The Segovia period is associated with the Madrid period, as it was there that these plays were premiered with great success.
Unsurprisingly, Antonio Machado also recorded his impressions of the landscapes and places of Segovia, which he explored on his long walks, in verse.
El Acueducto Romano
-canta una voz de mi tierra-
y el querer que nos tenemos,
chiquilla ¡vaya firmeza!
Nuevas canciones (1924)
En Segovia, una tarde, de paseo,
por la alameda que el Eresma baña,
para leer mi Biblia
eché mano al estuche de las gafas
en busca de ese andamio de mis ojos,
mi volado balcón de la mirada.
El Milagro (pág. 406)
