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 criticism, Ordóñez became one of the reference voices for the performing arts in the State. 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 in Núvol, about his craft.

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 Nadal prize jury. 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 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 about filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia titled La bestia anda suelta (Glenat) and in 2002 he co-wrote, with actress Núria Espert, De aire y fuego (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 life lessons, featuring great names from the theater he had encountered, 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 of lovers in the late 70s in Barcelona. Through fiction, Ordóñez spoke of nostalgia for a city and a time that would never return, those of his adolescence.