Fernando Arrabal receives France's highest arts honor

Spanish playwright, filmmaker, poet, and painter Fernando Arrabal has been awarded the insignia of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by France. The 93-year-old artist received the prestigious honor at a ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Pascal Rogard, director general of the French authors' rights society SACD, presented the medal, describing Arrabal as a "living monument of contemporary creation" and an exceptional chess player. Rogard apologized that France had not bestowed this honor earlier on the artist, considered one of the most influential figures in contemporary arts.

Arrabal, known for works like 'Pic-Nic' and the novel 'The Tower Invaded by the Lightning,' expressed profound gratitude to France. He recalled that the country offered him refuge from the hostility he faced during the Franco dictatorship. He specifically mentioned SACD's role in supporting his release from prison in 1967 after he was incarcerated for an inscription deemed unacceptable.

During the ceremony, Arrabal shared anecdotes with renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Louis Aragón. Spanish Minister of the Presidency, Justice, and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, praised Arrabal as "surely our most complete, most universal integral genius alive" and the most performed Spanish theater author globally. Bolaños highlighted Arrabal's enduring Spanish identity and his past fear of visiting the Spanish embassy during the dictatorship.