Domingo Cirici Ventalló (1878–1917) was a Spanish novelist, editor and political militant. During his lifetime he gained wide popularity as author of 4 novels; currently classified as political fiction or dystopian prose, they are considered second-rate literature. His best known work La República española en 1.91... (1911) fairly accurately predicted the advent of the Republic, its sectarian politics, collapse of public order and the ensuing military coup. As a journalist Cirici contributed to some 30 Conservative and Catholic dailies, but is best known as editor-in-chief of El Correo Español and briefly the key author of El Debate. Politically Cirici remained a Carlist; he advanced the Traditionalist outlook both in his novels and in his press work, though he did not hold any post in the party and his attempts to obtain a seat in the Cortes ended in failure.
Family and youth
There is little known about paternal ascendants of Cirici Ventalló; the Cirici family has not been recorded until the 19th century, when some of its representatives were noted in Northern Catalonia. The father of Domingo, Matías Cirici Traverhis exact segundo apellido is not clear. In two obituaries, probably published by his son, he is noted as "Traver", compare La Cruz 10.07.12, available here, and El Correo Espanol 09.07.12, available here. The biographer of Cirici Ventallo claims that the correct spelling is "Travé", Àngels Carles-Pomar, Domingo Cirici Ventalló: un periodista terrassenc a Madrid, Terrassa 2007, , p. 31. She also advances a catalanised version of his name, "Matias Cirici i Travé", which he was unlikely to use; if so, he would have used "Matías Cirici y Travé" (1837–1912),his date of death is clear, see e.g. El Correo Espanol 09.07.12, available here. His date of birth is subject to doubt. A newspaper obituary claims he died "at the age of 77", which might point to 1835 though also 1834 or 1836, see La Cruz 10.07.12, available here. Cirici's biographer claims – possibly on basis of official documentation – that he was born in 1837, Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31 originated from Seu d'urgell;Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31; some family members including his brother were also noted as related to Seu d’Urgell, see La Discusion 19.05.59, available here It is not clear what he was doing for a living; in later official documents he was recorded as "propietario".Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31 He was son to a commerciant Bartomeu Cirici Joval.Josep Albert Planes i Ball, Advocats i levites: una aproximació sociològica a l’elit dirigent del carlisme urgellenc (1860-1875), [in:] Daniel Montañà Buchaca i Josep Rafart Canals (eds.), El carlisme ahir i avui, Aviá 2013, ISBN 9788494101700, p. 123 In 1875Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31 he married Vicenta Ventalló Vintró,Domènec Ventalló Llobateras entry, [in:] MyHeritage service, available here descendant to a prestigious local family. Her father and the maternal grandfather of Cirici Ventalló, Domingo Ventalló Llobateras (1805–1878), was a Terrassa pharmacist and served as alcalde of the town, the role performed at the turn of the centuries also by one of his sons.José Ventalló Vintró served as alcalde of Terrassa in 1895-7 and 1900-1, Juan Duch, La literatura en Tarrasa, Tarrasa 1964, pp. 19–20 Author of a few works on hydrology, Ventalló Llobateras was also the leader of local conservative Catholics.Duch 1964, p. 7
The newly wed Matías and Vicenta settled in Terrassa,at calle San Isidro 55, Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31 though either in the late 1880s or early 1890s they moved to Barcelona. They had 6 children, 3 daughtersConcepcion died in 1926, La Vanguardia 20.05.26, available here; she was also known as Asunción, La Vanguardia 12.05.26, available here. Zoila died in 1931, La Vanguardia 16.10.31, available here. Constancia died in 1982, La Vanguardia 01.04.82, available here and 3 sons.apart from Domingo the other sons were Angel and José, Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 31 Domingo was raised in a pious Catholic ambience and educated in Real Colegio Tarrasense, an establishment catering to local bourgeoisie.Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 32. Possibly he was also related to Escuela Apostólica del Sagrado Corazón in Barcelona, La Dinastía 19.08.97, available here None of the sources consulted indicates whether he entered a university or graduated; since his early teens he contributed to local periodicals and when in 1897 he settled on his own in Barcelona it was because he commenced professional career as a journalist.Augusto Uribe, El boom de la política ficción, [in:] BEM 68 (1999), available online here Cirici Ventalló got married in 1900 at an unusually early age of 22.La Dinastía 16.09.00, available here The bride, María de la Concepción Babé Botana (1882–1971),ABC 17.01.71, available here was even younger; almost nothing is known about her family or herself, except that she has outlived her husband by 54 years.
Domingo and Concepción settled in Barcelona. They had 5 children, born between 1903 and 1916: Matías,born 1903, died 1980, Hoja Oficial de Lunes 31.03.80, available here Domingo, Carmen,Domingo was born in 1912, Carmen in 1913, Ventalló entry, [in:] Ancestry service, available here AnaAna was born in 1916, El Debate 12.03.21, available here and Francisco;it is not clear when Francisco was born, El Debate 09.12.17, available here Ana died at the age of 5 in 1921.El Debate 12.03.21, available here Matías Cirici Babé earned his name as a screenwriter contributing to Hollywood films of the 1930s and Spanish ones of the early 1940s; until the 1970s he worked for a popular weekly Ya, periodically heading its foreign section;ABC 19.05.42, available here in both roles he appeared as "Matías Cirici-Ventalló".Matías Cirici-Ventalló entry, [in:] CervantesVirtual service, available here Another son Domingo tried his hand as historian of Latin American literature; he signed as "Domingo Cirici Ventalló".in the early 1950s he published few works on literature in Guatemala in Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, see e.g.WorldCat service, available here The granddaughter of Cirici Ventalló, Carmen Cirici-Ventalló Aguayo, earned her name in Mexico as music producer, painter, sculptor and translator, but also as wife of Eduardo Mata.Maru Ruiz de Icaza, Carmen Cirici-Ventalló, [in:] El Universal 02.01.00, available here Among other relatives Domingo's brother-in-law, Andrés Babé Botana, was moderately popular as an actor, known as "Mellaíto".see e.g. Valentín Azcune, Biblioteca teatral, Madrid 2007, , p. 143 Domingo's maternal uncles José Ventalló Vintró and Pedro Antonio Ventalló Vintró were acknowledged in the local Terrassa ambience, the former as a historianDuch 1964, pp. 19–20 and the latter as a poet, "Cantor d’Egara".Ventalló i Vintó, Pere Antoni entry, [in:] Endrets service, available here Two of his maternal step-cousinsCirici ventallo's maternal grandfather Domingo Ventalló Llobateras was married twice, first with Eulalia Vintró (who gave birth to the future mother of Cirici Ventallo) and then with Dolores Homs (who gave birth to the future father of Ventalló Vergés brothers), Pau Vinyes i Roig, Visca la República! Joaquím Ventalló, periodista, polític, poeta i traductor, Barcelona 2010, , p. 14 became known in Catalan literature in politics. Joaquín Ventalló Vergés was a Catalan poet, translator and Esquerra Republicana politician,Vinyes i Roig 2010, p. 14 while Lluis Ventalló Vergés was a Carlist militant and the first Francoist civil governor or the Lerida province.see e.g. Mariona Vigués i Julià, Lluís G. Ventalló i Vergés, (1903–1980). De la fidelitat a Sala al compromís amb el Règim, Terrasa 2005,
Periodista
Inspired by literary endeavors of his uncles the young Domingo was also tempted by letters.initially he tried his hand in poetry. As member of the Terrassa Ateneo, he presented his verses in an 1895 session and excused his inexperience, which led his biographer to assume that the event was his first public appearance, Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 32 He commenced his career as teenagerone author claims that Cirici launched his press career at the age of 14, which would point to the years of 1892–1893, see Uribe 1999, available here . Another author cites a Comarca note from 1895; it welcomes Cirici as the new member of the staff, Carles-Pomar 2007, p. 32 by contributing to La Comarca del Vallès, issued by José Ventalló.Jose Ventalló Vintró was publishing also other local periodicals, but it is not known whether Cirici Ventalló contributed, see Vinyes i Roig 2010. Cirici's juvenile press contributions revolved around the topics of social issues, Cuban insurgency and Spanish–American War, and regeneracionismo, Àngels Carles-Pomar, Domingo Cirici Ventalló, escriptor i publicista, [in:] Ciutat. Revista cultural d'Amics de les Arts i Joventuts Musicals 10 (2000), pp. 28–29. The author considers the early career of Cirici "un cas celebrat de nepotisme", Carles-Pomar 2000, p. 25 In 1897 he started co-operation with the Barcelona dailies Las Noticias and El Noticiero Universal.Carles-Pomar 2000, pp. 25, 29 His first signed contribution identified is an 1899 chronicle published in the Carlist Barcelona daily La Dinastía,La Dinastía 24.10.99, available here though the same year he contributed lyrical prose to a Liberal daily La Lucha.La Lucha 15.11.99, available here Throughout the next few years Cirici worked also for Barcelona newspapers El Correo Catalan and La Veu,La Epoca 09.12.17, available here for a weekly Mar y TierraMar y Tierra 16.10.00, available here and for provincial dailies Diario de TortosaDiario de Tortosa 15.01.03, available here and La Situación.a daily from Sabadell, Carles-Pomar 2000, p. 25 He published little under his own name; it is not clear whether he used pen-names. According to some sources he wrote also in Catalan,El Pueblo Manchego 31.10.14, available here yet no such contribution has been identified. He earned some recognitionaccording to some rather unjustly; when other correspondents went to great lengths covering local events, Cirici wrote his correspondence from a cafeteria. He was declared hijo adoptivo by Pont de Vilomara as recognition of his article for El Noticiero, which praised brave local people; the article was written without Cirici ever visiting the town, see Les memòries de Clovis Eimeric, [in:] Annals del periodisme catala 13 (1935), available here. The same fellow journalist also elsewhere claims that Cirici preferred lively language to accuracy, see Lluís Almerich, La mala vida del periodista, [in:] Annals del periodisme catala 15 (1935), p. 531, available here and as representative of "Catalan press" he covered local meetings involving Spanish politicians;La Vanguardia 08.05.00, available here he also entered the executive of Asociación de la Prensa de Barcelona.La Vanguardia 24.09.00, available here Already recognized for vehemently right-wing views, in 1907 he was about to have a duel with his preferred bête noire, Alejandro Lerroux.El País 10.02.17, available here, Uribe 1999