Tomás de Iriarte

Born in 1750 in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Tomás de Iriarte became a Spanish poet, dramatist, and translator who spent most of his working life in Madrid. He moved in literary and official circles, and his writing often shows a polished, neoclassical taste shaped by both classical models and French influence.

He is remembered above all for Fábulas literarias (Literary Fables), a collection that uses animals, allegory, and humor to comment on writers, critics, and artistic manners. Alongside poetry and theater, he also translated works from Latin and French, building a reputation as an elegant stylist with a sharp tongue.

Iriarte died in 1791, but his fables remained widely read and helped secure his place in Spanish literature. He is often seen as one of the key fabulists of his time, admired for turning literary criticism into something clever, memorable, and surprisingly entertaining.