Miguel de Unamuno – 1864-1936

We know that there was a close relationship between Miguel de Unamuno and Antonio Machado. Although Machado's letters to Unamuno have been preserved, the letters from Unamuno were lost, quite possibly during Machado's tragic journey from Barcelona shortly before his death, when the poet and his family were forced to join the frantic attempt of those who were trying to escape Franco's army which was about to capture the city. Because of this we do not know what Unamuno may have said in his letters to Machado, but we do have the anecdotal account of Miguel Pérez Ferrero which reveals how Unamuno felt about the poet. Pérez Ferrero describes an incident when Unamuno visited a café in Madrid where the Machado brothers were having a tertulia, and when he arrived at the door he announced: "I am here to greet the man with the shabbiest clothes and the purest soul of any person I know: Don Antonio Machado." [1]

Because of this relationship and my own admiration for the author, I intend to translate parts of Unamuno's writing and place them on this web site along with my translations of Machado's work, beginning with "My Religion," written in 1907 and published in 1910, which can serve as an introduction to Unamuno's personality and the religious philosophy which formed the foundation for almost everything he wrote. For a detailed discussion of Unamuno's religious thought the reader may consult the articles: "Unamuno and the Religion of Uncertainty," "The God of Miguel de Unamuno," and "The Psalms of Unamuno," which are posted under "Publications" on this web site.

Mi religion – My Religion (Full text, .pdf)

[1] Miguel Pérez Ferrero, Vida de Antonio Machado y Manuel 2a Edición (Madrid: Austral, 1953), p. 196.