- Biography
- Trip to Mexico
- Developing career
- Historical data of his work
- Death
- Plays
- Mexican greatness
- Golden age in the jungles of Erífile
- References
Bernardo de Balbuena (1568-1627) was a renowned poet and ecclesiastic, admired for his great achievements in both areas. As a writer he is known for his extensive poetry developed in works such as the Golden Age in the forests of Erífile and Mexican Grandeur, among others.
The recognition of his poetry placed him among the most important poets of colonial America. In addition, he held various religious positions, among which the one linked to the abbey in Jamaica in 1608 stands out.
His ecclesiastical career continued to rise and in 1620 he was named the first bishop of Puerto Rico, an appointment he held until the day of his death.
This character is remembered for being a prominent representative in the field of letters, as well as an exemplary priest who knew how to balance his work as a writer with his priestly commitments.
Biography
Bernardo de Balbuena was born on November 20, 1568 in Valdepeñas de Gregorio Villanueva, Spain. His mother was named Luisa de Velasco and he was the illegitimate son of Bernardo de Balbuena.
His childhood and adolescence were lived with his mother in Spain, since his father abandoned him since he was a child. This fact marked him deeply.
The influence that the lack of his father had in his childhood can be seen in his work El Bernardo or Victoria de Roncesvalles, where the author tangentially expresses the difficulty that it meant for him to grow up without a close father figure.
As the years passed and still being very young, he traveled to Mexico to reconnect with his father and carry out his studies.
Trip to Mexico
Balbuena grew up in Nueva Galicia and in 1584 applied for a license to live in Mexico with his father. Upon arrival, he studied theology and entered a seminary to ordain himself as a priest.
His studies were carried out at the University of Mexico between 1585 and 1590. During those years Bernardo de Balbuena won his first poetic contests; at that time he was already living in the city of Guadalajara.
Developing career
While in Mexico, his careers as a poet and priest were on the rise. In 1592 he was appointed priest of the Royal Audience of Guadalajara, having just 30 years of age.
Balbuena settled in San Pedro Lagunillas, in Nueva Galicia, and as a good chaplain he administered the sacraments, gave Mass and spent time writing without neglecting his duties as a priest.
In 1603 he returned to Mexico City. Thanks to his discipline and his love for letters, he managed to present his work Mexican Grandeur in 1604. In this text he describes Mexico City and it was his beginning to be recognized in the world of letters.
He finally said goodbye to Mexico in 1606 and traveled to Madrid, where he did a doctorate in Theology at the University of Sigüenza. Parallel to this, he continued in the search to train to obtain an important ecclesiastical position.
After two years in Spain, he published the Siglo de oro en las Selvas de Erífile, a work that was printed in 1608 in Madrid. It is a series of pastoral lyrical poems with pieces of prose.
On the other hand, while his passion for letters and poetry grew, in 1610 he was appointed abbot in Jamaica. During that period he developed his work El Bernardo or Victoria de Roncesvalles, which was published in 1624.
Later, in 1620 he achieved an important promotion within the church and was appointed bishop of San Juan de Puerto Rico.
Historical data of his work
In general, little historical data on Bernardo de Balbuena is kept. This is due, among other things, to the fact that in 1625 a serious tragedy occurred for the poetry of that writer, a fact that filled him with sadness and accompanied him until the end of his days.
During that year, the Dutch privateer Balduino Enrico, who starred in the assault on San Juan de Puerto Rico, destroyed Bernardo de Balbuena's palace and caused significant losses in literature, since it destroyed a good part of his work. The writer never recovered from this tragedy.
With the destruction of its library, works such as the poems El divino Cristiados and La highza de Laura were lost.
Death
On October 11, 1627, at 59 years of age, Bernardo de Balbuena died in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As mentioned above, the loss of his work was a sadness that accompanied him until his last days.
Plays
Mexican greatness
It is a poem written in 1604 that, through its narrative, describes the greatness and majesty of Mexico City in nine chapters. It is considered the most important descriptive lyric poem of the time.
In this work you can see how Bernardo de Balbuena used and mixed humanistic culture with Renaissance poetry; in addition, it is a constant praise of Mexico City.
In its first impression it was not very homogeneous. It was published in two editions with different dedications: the first printing was made in Mexico by Melchior de Ocharte, and the second by Diego López Dávalos.
Over the years, Grandeza Mexicana continued to be reprinted. Its last edition saw the light in Madrid in 2011.
Golden age in the jungles of Erífile
It was published in Madrid in 1608. It is a pastoral poem that contains twelve eclogues, narrated in the first person with exceptional poetic prose.
-Lost Poem I walk, lady, among the people.
- Lyric poetry.
References
- Bernardo de Balbuena in Britannica. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Britannica: britannica.com
- Bernardo de Balbuena in EcuRed. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from EcuRed: ecured.cu
- Bernardo de Balbuena in Históricas. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Históricas: historicas.unam.mx
- Bernardo de Balbuena (Portrait) on Wikisource. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Wikisource: es.wikisource.org
- Cuello, T. On the golden age in the jungles of Erífile de Bernardo de Balbuena in the Digital Library of the National University of Cuyo. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Bdigital UNCU: bdigital.uncu.edu.ar
- El Bernardo or Victoria de Roncesvalles by Bernardo de Balbuena (1624) in Estudiosindiano. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Estudiosindiano: Estudiosindianos.org
- The Mexican Greatness of Bernardo de Balbuena, Javier Ponce in Synchrony. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Synchrony: sincronia.cucsh.udg.mx
- Bernardo de Balbuena in Wikipedia. Retrieved on December 10, 2018 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org