author
Jorge Manrique
d. 1479
A soldier, nobleman, and poet of 15th-century Castile, he is remembered above all for a moving elegy on his father's death that became one of the classics of Spanish literature. His work joins courtly grace with clear, thoughtful reflections on honor, time, and mortality.
1 Audiobook
Coplas por la muerte de su padre
by Jorge Manrique
About the author
Born around 1440 into a powerful Castilian noble family, he lived the life of both a man of letters and a man of arms. He fought in the political and military struggles of his time and was connected to a family with strong literary ties, which helps explain the unusual blend of martial experience and poetic skill in his work.
He is best known for Coplas por la muerte de su padre, written after the death of his father, Rodrigo Manrique. The poem's plain strength, emotional restraint, and meditations on how quickly life passes have kept it alive for centuries, and it is still widely read as one of the great works of early Spanish poetry.
He died in 1479 while involved in military action, leaving behind a relatively small body of verse but an outsized reputation. Today he is often seen as one of the last great poets of medieval Spain and a writer whose most famous poem still feels intimate, humane, and surprisingly modern.