author
Agustín Moreto
1618–1669
A major playwright of Spain’s Golden Age, he wrote witty, tightly crafted comedies that delighted seventeenth-century audiences. He later became a priest, bringing together religious life and the bustling world of the Baroque stage.
1 Audiobook
El lindo don Diego : Comedia
by Agustín Moreto
About the author
Born in Madrid in 1618 and baptized on April 9, Agustín Moreto y Cavana grew up in the rich theatrical culture of Spain’s Siglo de Oro. He studied at the University of Alcalá and began writing for the stage while still young, eventually becoming known as one of the leading dramatists of the generation after Lope de Vega and alongside Calderón’s school.
Moreto was especially admired for polished comedies built from lively dialogue, social intrigue, and sharp observation of manners. His best-known play is El desdén, con el desdén, a work that remained popular long after his lifetime and helped secure his place in Spanish literary history. Contemporary and later reference works describe his plays as extremely successful in his own day, even if modern critics sometimes view him as more skillful than radically original.
In the 1650s he moved to Toledo, took holy orders, and served as a priest and chaplain. He died in Toledo in 1669, leaving behind a body of work that still offers a vivid window into Baroque theater and the elegance of Spanish courtly comedy.