Baltasar Gracián y Morales

Born in 1601 in Belmonte near Calatayud, in Aragon, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1619 and went on to teach and preach while building a remarkable literary career. He is widely regarded as one of the great prose stylists of the Spanish Baroque and as a leading voice of conceptismo, a style known for brevity, intensity, and intellectual play.

His major works include The Hero, The Politician, The Discreet, and The Art of Worldly Wisdom (Oráculo manual y arte de prudencia), a collection of maxims that later reached a wide international audience. He also wrote El Criticón, an ambitious allegorical novel often considered his masterpiece, using satire and moral reflection to examine human life and society.

His relationship with Jesuit authorities grew strained, especially after publishing work without proper permission, and he faced reprimands late in life. He died in 1658, but his reputation endured well beyond Spain: later readers such as Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche admired his thought and style, helping keep his work alive for new generations.