author
Tomás de Iriarte
1750–1791
An Enlightenment-era Spanish poet and fabulist, he is best remembered for witty verse that turns literary debate into storytelling. His best-known book, Fábulas literarias (1782), helped make him one of the standout neoclassical voices of 18th-century Spain.
3 Audiobooks
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
Fábulas literarias
by Tomás de Iriarte
Literary Fables of Yriarte
by Tomás de Iriarte
About the author
Born in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, on September 18, 1750, Tomás de Iriarte moved to Madrid while still young and grew up in a highly literary family. He was the nephew of the scholar Juan de Iriarte, and that connection helped shape a strong classical education and an early life in letters.
He worked as a translator and became known for his poetry, plays, and sharp literary intelligence. Iriarte is most closely associated with Spanish Neoclassicism and with Fábulas literarias, a collection of verse fables published in 1782 that used animals, satire, and elegant form to comment on writing, taste, and criticism.
Although he died in Madrid on September 17, 1791, just one day before his forty-first birthday, his reputation lasted well beyond his short life. He is still remembered as one of the key Spanish fabulists of the 18th century, admired for bringing clarity, polish, and playful argument to his work.