author
James Fitzmaurice-Kelly
1858–1923
A leading British scholar of Spanish literature, he helped introduce generations of English-language readers to Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and the wider world of Spanish letters. His books and lectures made Hispanic studies feel lively, readable, and connected to the broader history of European literature.
3 Audiobooks
Fray Luis de León: A Biographical Fragment
by James Fitzmaurice-Kelly
A History of Spanish Literature
by James Fitzmaurice-Kelly
Chapters on Spanish Literature
by James Fitzmaurice-Kelly
About the author
Born in Glasgow on June 20, 1858, James Fitzmaurice-Kelly became one of Britain’s best-known Hispanists and literary historians. He was educated at St. Charles's College, Kensington, and developed an early interest in Spanish language and literature that shaped the rest of his career.
He wrote widely on Spain’s major writers, including Cervantes and Lope de Vega, and is especially remembered for works such as A History of Spanish Literature. His reputation as a scholar led to major academic posts in Spanish studies at Oxford, Liverpool, and the University of London, and he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
Fitzmaurice-Kelly died on November 30, 1923. His lasting importance comes from the way he opened Spanish literary history to English-speaking readers with scholarship that was serious, clear, and welcoming.