 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|||||
|
 |
 |
Biography of Saavedra, Angel deName: Saavedra, Angel deBirth Date: March 10, 1791 Death Date: June 22, 1865 Place of Birth: Cordova, Spain Nationality: Spanish Gender: Male Occupations: poet, dramatist, statesman Saavedra, Angel de The Spanish poet, dramatist, and statesman Angel de Saavedra, Duque de Rivas (1791-1865), is best known for his drama "Don Álvaro, or the Force of Destiny," which marked the triumph of romanticism in Spain.Angel de Saavedra, later the Duque de Rivas, was born on March 10, 1791, in Cordova, the second son of a family of grandees. In 1800 the family moved to Madrid, where Saavedra studied at the Seminario de Nobles. In 1808, at the outbreak of the War of Independence against Napoleon, he joined the Castilian army. Badly wounded in 1809, he went to Cadiz, where he met Quintana and Martinez de la Rosa, two major literary figures. Between 1814 and 1820 he wrote drama and poetry in the classical manner, publishing various poems with the title Poesías in 1814.By 1823 Saavedra had joined the liberals against the despotic rule of Ferdinand VII. He became a deputy and secretary of the Cortes and …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…stage settings and scenes of local color in which minor characters enact realistic, often comic, situations.In 1837 Rivas was exiled again, this time for being a conservative. He returned in 1838 and in 1841 published Los romances históricos, poems inspired by Spanish ballad literature and ancient chronicles. During 1844-1860 Rivas served as ambassador in Naples, Paris, and Florence, and in Spain he was elected president of the Cortes and Consejo de Estado. After 1860 he withdrew from politics but continued as president of the Spanish Academy until his death on June 22, 1865, in Madrid. Further Reading The best book on Rivas's life and work is Edgar Allison Peers, Rivas and Romanticism in Spain (1923). Rivas is discussed in two general background works: Gerald Brenan, The Literature of the Spanish People (1951; 2d ed. 1953), and Richard E. Chandler and Kessel Schwartz, A New History of Spanish Literature (1961).Lovett, Gabriel H., The Duke of Rivas, Boston: Twayne, 1977. |