The greatest Spanish prose writer of the 16th century and one of the greatest poets in the language.
He was a monk educated chiefly at Salamanca where he obtained his first chair in 1561.
Academic rivalry between the Dominicans and the Augustiians whom he had joined in 1544 led to his denunciation to the Inquisition for critizing the text of the Vulgate, imprudent at that period in Spain, since his great-grand-mother had been Jewish. After almost five years imprisionment (1572-76) he was exonerated and restored to his chair which he resigned in favour of the man who had replaced him. He subsequently gained a new one also at Salamanca (When he entered in class he said: "We tell yesterday...)". A second denunciation in 1582 was unavailing.
His prose unavailing De los nombres de Cristo (1583-85), a treatise in the dialogue form popularized by the followers of Erasmus on the various names given to Christ in Scripture is the supreme exemplar of Spanish classical prose style: clear, lofty and through studied, entirely devoid of affectation.
His translations from Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Italian include the Song of Solomon (modern edition by J. Guillén 1936) and the Book of Job both with commentary.
Leon´s poems containing many of the motifs of De los nombres de Cristo were posthumously published by Quevedo in 1631 because their sincerity of expressión and emphasis on content rather than form were useful in the struggle against the attempts of the Gongorists to re-latinize the language.
The Spanish classicists of the 18th century used his lyrics as models.
Among his more familiar poems are Vida retirado (1557, Ode to Retirenment) and Noche Serena (1571, The Serene Night).
His poetic works reflect the tension betwen his Horatian ideals of moderation and the turbulent life of a man of an honest and naturally pugnacious temperament inhabiting a world of ecclesiastical intrigue and rancorous academic politics.
His other works include theological treatises and commentaries in Latin on various psalms and books of the Bible and La perfecta casada (1583) a commentary in Spanish on Prov. 31 incorporating elements of the medieval ascetic tradition of misogyny interspersed with picturesque gilpses of feminine customs of the day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment