Luis de Gongora
Luis de Gongora
Born in 1561, Luis de Gongora was a Spanish poet. His work is widely known to be related to Culteranismo, which is the infusion of metaphors into the writing to add substance to the text and intrigue the reader. This work is in strong contrast with Conceptismo, a style used by his rival Francisco de Quevedo.
Earlier Life
He originated from a rather wealthy family, his father being a judge from high desent and his mother from a slightly lower one. He took on the surname of his mother so he was able to portray his "pure Christian blood", which was of particular issue at the time. At the young age of 15 he was ready to study law at Salamanca University. His first bit of recognition came from the excellent writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quijote; Cervantes had appreciated Gongora's work as early as 1585, when he published La Galatea.
In 1605 Gongora was ordained as a priest, after which he spent a short period as the chaplain to the King Phillip III. It is an understatement to say that he had a problem with his life time rival Quevedo; the two were always throwing accusations at each other and Quevedo even went as far as having Gongora evicted from his home. Needless to say there was no love lost between them and the only thing that began to stop this rivalry was the death of Gongora in 1627.
Gongora didn't always have the sense of maturity during his early times as a priest that he found in later life. Instead, he was drawn in by the charms of gambling and soon realised that it was influencing his work to quite a significant degree. Another important milestone for Gongora was his introducing the formation of the 'Generation of 27', a group of avante garde poets and writers who produced an infusion of excellence that is still highly regarded today.
A Collection of his work
- De un Caminante Enfermo que se Enamoro Donde fue Hospedado
- De la Brevedad Engañosa de la Vida
- A Jupiter
- A Don Francisco de Quevedo
- Señora Doña Puente Segoviana
