author
José de Espronceda
1808–1842
A fierce voice of Spanish Romanticism, his poetry burns with rebellion, freedom, and restless energy. Though he died young, works like "The Student of Salamanca" and "The Song of the Pirate" helped make him one of Spain’s most remembered poets.
2 Audiobooks
El Estudiante de Salamanca and Other Selections
by José de Espronceda
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 Almendralejo in 1808, he became one of the leading writers of Spanish Romanticism. As a young man he was drawn into liberal politics and spent time in exile, experiences that shaped the defiant spirit running through much of his work.
He is best known for poems and verse narratives such as The Song of the Pirate, The Student of Salamanca, and the unfinished The Devil World. His writing is known for its musical force, dramatic imagination, and fascination with freedom, passion, and rebellion.
He also took part in public life after returning to Spain, serving as a deputy in the Cortes before his death in Madrid in 1842. Despite his short life, his work left a lasting mark on Spanish literature and remains a vivid introduction to the Romantic movement.