Josep Maria Benet i Jornet

Josep Maria Benet i Jornet (; 20 June 1940 – 6 April 2020), also known as "Papitu", was one of the most renowned Catalan playwrights, considered one of the main renewers of Catalan theater. Biography He was born in a tiny Barcelona apartment in Ronda de Sant Antoni on June 20, 1940, from parents Concepció Jornet and Pere Benet. Growing up, his love for playwriting emerged from reading comic book strips, in which he made up his own dialogues; and he also learned from popular readings and the world of radiophonic serials. He was an active participant in the fight against the Spanish dictatorship, although he never affiliated with any political parties. He took clandestine Catalan literature lessons with Joaquim Molas, through Joan-Lluís Marfany. He majored in Literature at the University of Barcelona, and in 1962, he enrolled in Adrià Gual's School of Dramatic Arts, where he came into contact with the most renowned personalities in theater of that time, such as Ricard Salvat, Maria Aurèlia Capmany, Josep Montanyès, Fabià Puigserver or Francesc Nel·lo. Years later, he became a dramatic literature teacher in Barcelona's Institut del Teatre, where he taught from 1974 to 1981.