Recovering an article ‘in defence of Bable’, by José García Peláez «Pepín de Pría»

Abstract

José García Peláez, «Pepín de Pría» (1864-1928), is undoubtedly one of the most renowned writers among the classical Asturian authors. Most of his prolific literary production (drama, prose, poetry and newspaper articles) has been collected in two volumes edited by Miguel Ramos Corrada and published respectively in 1992 and 1993. Later, some unpublished or unknown works could be recovered. Special mention deserve the play La media cama (2012) and Esbozo de diccionario bable del Centro y Oriente de Asturias (2015), a work which was not published while García Peláez was alive, despite his and some of his friends’ efforts. 90 years after his death, we now recover this work which includes an unpublished and untitled article by «Pepín de Pría», written during the last years of his life. In the text, the author reacts to the exclusion of Asturian from the Real Academia de la Lengua,or Royal Spanish Academy. As García Peláez felt that his death was near, the article can also be regarded as a testament to those who would be able to support the recognition of the language. Moreover, the context which gave rise to the writing of the article is analyzed, as well as the reasons why this text remained unpublished.