Unamuno and H. G. Wells went to the cinema together: unpublished letter confirms it 90 years on

A remarkable discovery has shed new light on an encounter between renowned Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno and British author H. G. Wells, 90 years after the fact. The revelation comes from an unpublished letter penned by Unamuno himself in 1936, found recently in the Unamuno House-Museum archive at the University of Salamanca.

In his letter to his children, Unamuno recounts a dinner with Wells at his London residence on February 28, 1936, followed by a visit to the cinema. The film in question was "Things to Come," a science fiction masterpiece penned by Wells himself and inspired by his earlier work, "The Shape of Things to Come."

Until now, the nature and details of this encounter remained shrouded in mystery, with only two fragments of evidence to go on. The first was a poem by Unamuno, which contained references to the film's themes. The second was a newspaper report by correspondent of El Sol, detailing a dinner invitation extended by Wells to Unamuno.

The 2025 discovery of the handwritten invitation from Wells to Unamuno provided the missing piece in this intriguing puzzle. The British author had invited the Spanish writer to join them for dinner and subsequently attend the screening of "Things to Come" at the Leicester Square Theatre. Unamuno accepted the invitation, as evidenced by the letter unearthed from the Unamuno archives.

This newly revealed correspondence confirms that the two esteemed intellectuals indeed shared an evening together, marking a significant moment in the intellectual and literary circles of their time. The original document will be on display at Bilbao, Unamuno's hometown, from September 29 to October 30, 2025, as part of the exhibition "Let them invent it.

Miguel de Unamuno and science," which explores the writer's relationship with science and other influential figures of his era, including Albert Einstein, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, and Wells.