Writer and theater critic Marcos Ordóñez dies

BarcelonaThe writer and theater critic Marcos Ordóñez has died at the age of 69. Author of a score of books—including essays, memoirs, and fiction—Ordóñez worked for decades as a theater critic. He worked at El Correo Catalán (1983-1985), ABC (1987-1991), Avui (1994-2000), and for the last 21 years for the newspaper El País, until he retired in 2021 due to health problems.

Among his most notable titles are El signo de los tiempos (1988), Una vuelta por el Rialto (1994), Rancho aparte (1997), Tarzán en Acapul­co (2001), and Juegos reunidos (2016). Through his reviews, Ordóñez became one of the reference voices for the performing arts in the country. He also worked as a professor of dramaturgy, screenwriting, and acting direction at Pompeu Fabra University. "Theater is made of legacies and the critic carries the torch of past generations, of the people who are no longer here, because of all the arts, theater is the most ephemeral," he said in 2017, in an interview with Núvol, about his profession.

Born in Barcelona in 1957, Ordóñez debuted in literature when he was 31 years old, with El signo de los tiempos. Three years later he wrote La noche de Eldorado, which united what were already his two great passions: literature and theater. With Rancho aparte (Destino, 1997), starring a painter who writes for therapeutic purposes and lives in 1950s Barcelona, Ordóñez received a mention from the jury of the Nadal Prize. Later he published other relevant titles, such as Tarzán en Acapulco (Destino, 2001), which revolved around a screenwriter in search of a love story. Much of Ordóñez's literature was autobiographical or drew from his own experiences. In A cualquiera puede sucederle (Plaza & Janés, 1990), for example, he explored the world of his grandparents. He himself defined Una vuelta por el Rialto (Anagrama, 1994) as his "literary autobiography".

For decades, Ordóñez balanced fiction with books linked to great names in cinema and theater. In 1997, he published a biography on the filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia titled La bestia anda suelta (Glenat) and in 2002 he co-wrote, with the actress Núria Espert, Comedia con fantasmas (Plaza & Janés). He also wrote a biography of Ava Gardner –Beberse la vida (Aguilar, 2004)– and another of Alfredo Landa –Alfredo el Grande (Aguilar, 2008)–. His first diary arrived in 2019 and was titled Una cierta edad (Anagrama). In that book, Ordóñez retraced his memories and reviewed some lessons on life, featuring great names of the theater he had crossed paths with, such as Peter Brook, Josep Maria Pou, Mario Gas, and Lluís Pasqual. “One of the best things about writing is that it allows you to think about nonsense twice,” he said at the time in an interview with ARA.

The writer's last book was Una joven pareja (Pepitas de Calabaza, 2021), a novel about a couple in love in late 70s Barcelona. Through fiction, Ordóñez spoke of nostalgia for a city and a time that would not return, those of his adolescence.