author
duque de Angel de Saavedra Rivas
1791–1865
A leading voice of Spanish Romanticism, this poet and dramatist helped change the course of Spanish theater with Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino. His life was as dramatic as his writing, shaped by war, exile, politics, and public office.
2 Audiobooks
Don Álvaro, o, La fuerza del Sino
by duque de Angel de Saavedra Rivas
Modern Poets and Poetry of Spain
by James Kennedy, Juan Bautista Arriaza, Manuel Bretón de los Herreros, José de Espronceda, Leandro Fernández de Moratín, José María Heredia, Tomás de Iriarte, Gaspar de Jovellanos, Francisco Martínez de la Rosa, Juan Meléndez Valdés, Manuel José Quintana, duque de Angel de Saavedra Rivas, José Zorrilla
About the author
Born in Córdoba in 1791, Ángel de Saavedra y Ramírez de Baquedano—better known as the Duke of Rivas—became one of the major figures of 19th-century Spanish literature. He fought in the Peninsular War against Napoleon, later entered politics, and after the liberal movement collapsed in 1823 he was condemned to death and spent years in exile.
That turbulent life fed into his writing. He is best remembered for Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino (1835), the play widely associated with the breakthrough of Romantic drama in Spain. He also wrote poetry and other dramatic works, bringing intensity, historical feeling, and strong emotion to the Spanish stage.
Saavedra was more than a literary figure: he also served as a diplomat and politician, and in 1854 he briefly became Prime Minister of Spain. He died in Madrid in 1865, leaving behind a reputation as both a man of letters and a public figure whose career reflected the upheavals of his age.