19th-Century Literary Figures: Lives and Works
Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Heinrich Heine, born into a Jewish family, lived in Paris from 1831 until his death. In 1933, his works were burned by the Nazis. Although critics valued his prose more, his fame is due to his lyrical production. The Book of Songs (1827) had several editions, and in 1851, he published a book of ballads.
José de Espronceda (1808-1842)
José de Espronceda was born in Pajares de la Vega to a wealthy family. In 1820, he moved to Madrid and devoted himself to politics and literature. He belonged to a secret society, the Numantines, for which he was imprisoned. He was exiled in 1827, traveled to various countries, and returned to Spain in 1833, aligning himself with the most radical liberals. He co-founded the newspaper El Siglo and other institutions and became a deputy in Almería. He died in Madrid.
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836-1870)
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer was born in Seville. He was the son of a painter and later adopted the surname of a Flemish ancestor. In 1854, he came to Madrid. In 1857, the first volume of History of the Temples of Spain was released, around the time he had contact with the poetry of Heine. He published Literary Letters to a Woman in 1861 and married Casta Esteban. In 1864, he published Letters from My Cell. He was appointed censor of novels. Due to the revolution, he was temporarily exiled. At that time, the manuscript of his Rhymes disappeared, which he rewrote under the title Book of Sparrows. He died in Madrid.
19th-Century Authors: Part 2
José María de Pereda (1833-1906)
José María de Pereda, a friend of Galdós and Clarín, belonged to a noble family. After a period of study in Madrid, he returned to his homeland, where he remained until his death. He began his literary work in 1860. The revolution of 1868 and the death of his brother led to an ideological shift in his work.
Juan Valera (1824-1905)
Juan Valera was born in Cabra and studied in Málaga, Granada, and Madrid. He was a diplomat. In 1850, he began his work as a critic and journalist. After intense activity as a deputy and member of the Royal Spanish Academy, in the last years of his life, he focused on literature.
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
Benito Pérez Galdós was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In 1862, he came to Madrid to study law. He traveled around Spain and France, and in 1867, he began his work as a storyteller. He also intervened in politics, agreeing to be a deputy for the Labour Party, but later changed his affiliation, and in 1909, he returned to Congress as a Republican. In 1912, conservative forces prevented his nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died in Madrid.
Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851-1921)
Emilia Pardo Bazán was born in A Coruña to a noble family and soon expressed her literary vocation. She married in 1868 and devoted herself to literature. Subsequently, she separated from her husband and lived with her three children in Madrid. She traveled to Europe and was aware of the literature of her time. She met the Spanish writers of her time. Alfonso XIII granted her the title of Countess for her artistic merit.
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867-1928)
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, a novelist and leader of Republicanism in Valencia, was a journalist and deputy editor of the newspaper El Pueblo. He resigned as deputy and emigrated to Argentina in 1909, later returning to Spain. He won international fame with his novels about the war in Europe, especially with The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which was filmed, making him a rich and famous author.
Leopoldo Alas, “Clarín” (1852-1901)
Leopoldo Alas, “Clarín” was born in Zamora. He studied law and devoted himself to journalism. He began using the pseudonym Clarín in the newspaper El Solfeo. In 1882, he married and joined the law faculty at the University of Zaragoza, and the following year, he moved to Oviedo. There he developed his literary work. Clarín was known at the time as a scathing and uncompromising critic.