Eichelbaum, Samuel (1894–1967)

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Eichelbaum, Samuel (1894–1967)

Samuel Eichelbaum (b. 14 November 1894; d. 4 May 1967), Argentine playwright and short-story writer. When he was only twelve years old, Samuel Eichelbaum left the town of his birth, Domínguez, Entre Ríos Province, to travel to Rosario, where he tried to interest theater companies in producing his sainete Un lobo manso (1906). Although this early attempt met with rejection, it exemplifies his lifelong dedication to the theater. Eichelbaum's work reflects characters who are archetypes within Argentine society, yet critics frequently recognize in his works the presence of Dostoyevsky, Ibsen, and Strindberg rather than any direct influence from other Argentine writers. His plays are rooted in introspection, as for example in Dos brasas (1952); through a seemingly psychoanalytic approach to drama he explores the self and the nature of conflicts between the conscious and unconscious. Other major themes include the importance for Argentina of both rural and urban areas, the strength of women, individual tragedy found at all socioeconomic levels, and the need to survive as an individual against all adversity. The theater of Eichelbaum is clearly distinguished by the intellectual capacity of the characters and their ability to think and reason, as expressed through dialogue.

Although few of his plays are political in nature, Eichelbaum does direct his attention to social problems. In El dogma (1922) he alludes to the role of Jewish activists in the labor movement, and in Nadie la conoció nunca (1926) there is a reference to attacks on Jewish neighborhoods after the workers' strikes of 1910 and 1919 (the latter known as La Semana Trágica). More than twenty years later, Un patricio del 80 (1948), written in collaboration with Ulises Petit de Murat, was subject to official opposition because it was considered to imply criticism of Perón's interest in supporting foreign exploitation of Argentine natural resources.

Un guapo del 900 (1940), Eichelbaum's best-known and most commercially successful play, explores the moral codes of the guapo, a bodyguard to a political boss. Individual freedom of choice and sacrifice are bound to machismo and self-destruction in the search for dignity among the lower classes of Argentine society. As in other plays, Eichelbaum concentrates on the internal turmoil of his characters and the psychological processes guided by honor and individuality that lead to sorrowful outcomes.

See alsoTheater .