author
Tomás de Iriarte
1750–1791
Best known for witty fables that mix storytelling with literary criticism, this Spanish writer brought Enlightenment clarity and sharp humor to poetry, drama, and translation. His work helped shape the neoclassical spirit of 18th-century Spanish literature.
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, he became one of the notable Spanish writers of the Enlightenment and the neoclassical period. He is commonly described as a poet, fabulist, dramatist, and translator, and he spent much of his literary life in Madrid.
He is especially remembered for Fábulas literarias (1782), a collection that used fables to comment on literary taste and criticism. Reference works also note that he translated French plays for the royal theater early in his career, showing how closely he was connected to the literary culture of his time.
He died in Madrid on September 17, 1791, just before his forty-first birthday. Though his life was short, his clear style, satirical edge, and interest in literary reform kept his name alive in the history of Spanish letters.