Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses

Template:Short description Gonzalo de Céspedes y Meneses (c. 1585Template:SndJanuary 27, 1638) was a Spanish novelist.

Biography

He was born at Madrid about 1585. Nothing positive is known of him before the publication of his celebrated romance, the Poema trágico del español Gerardo, y desengaño del amor lascivo (1615-1617).<ref>Translated into English by Leonard Digges in 1622 as Gerardo the Unfortunate Spaniard.</ref> There is evidence that he had been sentenced to eight years at the galleys previous to January 1, 1620, and that the penalty had been remitted; but the nature of his offense is not stated. His treatment of political questions in the Historia apologética en los sucesos del reyno de Aragon, y su ciudad de Zaragoza, años de 91 y 92 (1622), has led to the confiscation of the book, Céspedes took up his residence at Zaragoza and Lisbon.Template:Sfn

While in exile he issued a collection of six short stories entitled Historias peregrinas y exemplares (1623), the unfinished romance Varia fortuna del soldado Píndaro (1626), and the first part of his Historia de Felipe IV. (1631), a fulsome eulogy which was rewarded by the author's appointment as official historiographer to the Spanish king.Template:Sfn

His novels, though written in a ponderous, affected style, display considerable imagination and insight into character. The Poema trágico has been utilized by John Fletcher in The Spanish Curate and in The Maid of the Mill.Template:Sfn

The Historias peregrinas has been reprinted (1906) with a valuable introduction by Emilio Cotarelo y Mori.Template:Sfn

References

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