Spain: Notable Writers, Poets, Playwrights, etc.

1554 - Anonymous - The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes (All Facts)

• “Picaresque” Spanish Novel

  • This name derives from its celebration of a hero called a “picaro” which was essentially a wandering rogue

  • The “picaro” was a common character in Spain at the time - a (war) veteran who rejected hard work, lived on wits, and chanced his luck with every new opportunity

• Novel which reflected a collapsing society, as Spanish citizens were overcame by fatalism and a growing insecurity

• Novel which was condemned as immoral and heretical and placed on the “Index”

  • Spanish authorities disliked and condemned its vigorous anti-clericalism

1534 - 1597 - Fernando de Herrera (All Facts)

• Spanish Poet

• The best of his “canciones” describes the Battle of Lepanto

• He was a lyric poet

• He died in Seville

1547 - 1614 - Mateo Aleman (All Facts)

• Spanish Writer and Novelist

1599 / 1604 - Mateo Aleman: Guzman de Alfarache (All Facts)

• Work which tells the life story of the namesake hero

• It represented a new type of picaresque novel with its long and numerous episodes

• It was instantly popular

• It was published in two volumes

1539 - 1616 - Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (All Facts)

• Spanish-Peruvian Mestizo Chronicler and Historian

  • He was the son of an Inca princess by one of the Spanish conquistadors

1609 - Inca Garcilaso de la Vega: Commentaries relating the origins of the Incas (All Facts)

1547 - 1616 - Miguel de Cervantes (All Facts)

• Spanish Writer, Novelist, and Playwright

  • He was born in Alcala in Spain to a noble but impoverished family

  • He left Spain at the age of 22 and enlisted in the army of the Holy League

  • He fought in and was wounded in the Battle of Lepanto

  • He continued fighting as a soldier until he was taken prisoner by the Ottoman Turks

  • Despite many attempts at escape, he spent five years in Algiers before he was ransomed and returned to Madrid

  • He began writing, but poverty forced him into a variety of temporary jobs

• He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's first modern novelists

  • He was one of Spain’s greatest writers

• He died after he succumbed to a sudden and fatal illness

1582 - Miguel de Cervantes: The Algiers Deal (All Facts)

1585 - Miguel de Cervantes: La Galataea (All Facts)

• First work published of the namesake author

1585 - Miguel de Cervantes: La Numancia (All Facts)

1605 - Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote (All Facts)

• Novel which delighted readers all over Spain, it is considered the first modern novel in history

• Novel which simultaneously pokes fun at the traditional tales of chivalry and contemporary Spanish society

• Novel whose fictional protagonist

  • is a keen consumer of just the sort of stories the namesake author mocks as too much romance has indeed driven the namesake protagonist mad

  • is accompanied by his squire Sancho Panza, whose earthy common sense contrasts with his namesake master’s fantasies

  • roams the world in search of adventure on his ageing horse Rosinante

  • saw, in his madness, the most ordinary things appear romantic or terrifying

  • had his own fair lady, in true chivalric style, even if the girl he honors had no idea of his interest

  • takes up his lance and tilts at what he thinks are giants, but in reality are only windmills

  • searches for fine ideals, but the modern Spain in which he travels proves disappointing as greed and gold have replaced chivalry and the knightly qualities he values

• Novel which was the first by which the namesake author experienced real success, although his contemporary playwright Lope de Vega was less than complementary about it

• Novel which was so popular that a “second part” appeared, written by an anonymous hack; considered the first historical work of fanfiction

  • He responded with a genuine sequel, which was just as popular as the original

1613 - Miguel de Cervantes: Exemplary Novels (All Facts)

• Collection of short stories which includes amorous exploits and picaresque adventures

1617 - Miguel de Cervantes: The Works of Persiles and Sigismunda (All Facts)

• Last novel of the namesake author, published posthumously

1562 - 1635 - Lope de Vega (All Facts)

• Spanish Playwright and Novelist

• His popular plays were more notable for their entertainment value than their artistic merit

• He was said to have written 1,500 plays, though no record survives of at least half of these

  • He also claimed to have written six novels, several verse epics, and hundreds of sonnets and ballads

  • He also claimed he could write a play in a day

• He was notoriously unfaithful to his wife, having had five illegitimate children besides three from his marriage

  • Despite this, he

    • was ordained as a priest at one point

    • gave most of his large earnings to charity or to the church

• He died in poverty

1618 - Lope de Vega: Fountain of Rebels / Fuente Ovejuna (All Facts)

• Play about the fictional namesake village which rebelled against the Spanish King and Queen under the leadership of a young woman

• Play which was the namesake playwright’s most famous

1590 - 1600s - Maria de Zayas y Sotomayor (All Facts)

• Spanish Writer, Novelist, and Scholar

• She is considered one of the first feminist writers in history

1637 - Maria de Zayas y Sotomayor: Exemplary Love Stories and Romantic Disappointments (All Facts)

• Collection of novels which caught the public imagination and were deliberately packed with horror and melodrama

• Collection of novels, all of which had happy endings and were built around the device of entertaining an elderly lady

• Collection of novels that had a sequel published after them which had stories that all had sad endings

• Collection of novels in which the namesake author defended women against male claims of natural superiority and argued for a woman’s right to be educated

1580 - 1645 - Francisco de Quevedo (All Facts)

• Spanish Poet and Scholar

1631 - Francisco de Quevedo: Dreams (All Facts)

• Collection of highly successful moral satires that were condemned for ridiculing the Holy Scripture

1600 - 1681 - Pedro Calderón de la Barca (All Facts)

• Spanish Dramatist and Poet

• His works include light comedies and many plays of religious inspiration

1636 - Pedro Calderón de la Barca: The Mayor of Zalamea (All Facts)

• Play in which a peasant becomes mayor and defines the class conventions by ordering the execution of the nobleman who raped his daughter

• Play in which the ex-peasant mayor is commended by the king for avenging her honor

1637 - Pedro Calderón de la Barca: The Prodigious Magician (All Facts)

• Religious Drama that was both play and book