- German Matthew and January (1547-1615)
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681)
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)
- Juana Ines de la Cruz (1651-1695)
- Jan Gawinski (1622-1684)
- Luis de Góngora y Argote (1561-1627)
- Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658)
- Christian Hoffmann von Hoffmannswaldau (1616-1679)
- Wespazjan Kochowski (1633-1700)
- Tobia Lionelli (1647-1714)
- Daniel Casper von Lohenstein (1635-1683)
- Faustina Maratti (1679-1745)
- John Milton (1608-1674)
- Charles Perrault (1628-1703)
- Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673)
- Miguel de Molinos (1628-1696)
- Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645)
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- Lope de Vega (1562-1635)
- Théophile de Viau (1590-1626)
- References
The great authors of the Baroque developed during a period that is typically considered to be of an artistic style that used exaggerated movements as well as clear details, easily interpreted, to produce drama, tension, exuberance and bombast in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance., theater and music.
The art style known as Baroque emerged around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread throughout most of Europe. Its popularity and success were promoted by the Catholic Church, which decided during the Council of Trent, in response to the Protestant Reformation, that the arts should transmit and involve religious themes directly.
Miguel de Cervantes
The aristocracy found in the Baroque architectural style a means by which to impress visitors and express bonanza, power and dominance. Baroque palaces were built, surrounded by magnificent gardens, spectacular stairways, and opulent hallways in incremental sequences. The term baroque, however, has transcended beyond the artistic style of that time.
The word, of French origin, is believed to derive from the Portuguese "baroque" or the Spanish "barrueco". Both terms refer to a “rough or imperfect pearl”. It is unknown if the word was introduced to these languages through Latin, Arabic, or some other source.
In colloquial terms, today the term baroque refers to something that is elaborate or with many details, without necessarily referring to the artistic style of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The artistic period is usually classified into three stages: Early Baroque (1590-1625), Full Baroque (1625-1660), and Late Baroque (1660-1725). This last stage is also known, depending on the source, as a rococo movement.
The Baroque, by encompassing multiple artistic practices, had several prominent representatives. In the painting, Rubens, Caravaggio and the Spanish Diego Velázquez stand out. The Italian Bernini was one of the leading sculptors of the period. Baroque architecture shone in Germany, Austria, Russia and even Mexico, where the Cathedral of Morelia, in Michoacán, is a clear example.
Literature also flourished during the Baroque, the playwright William Shakespeare being perhaps the most prominent English-speaking author of the 17th century. In France, the Baroque movement known as Grand Siecle, was promoted by Moliere, La Fontaine and Perrault.
In Spain, during the so-called Golden Age, the playwrights Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Lope de Vega, along with Juana Inés de la Cruz and Miguel de Cervantes (considered the first novelist), were the most prominent representatives.
Who are the greatest authors of the Baroque? Here is a list.
German Matthew and January (1547-1615)
Mateo Alemán was a Spanish writer, born in Seville, where he graduated from university in 1564. According to some sources, he was descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Catholicism after 1492 and some members of his family were persecuted by the Inquisition. for having maintained the practice of Judaism.
His most representative work was Guzmán de Alfarache, a picaresque novel that had no more and no less than 16 editions in 5 years.
Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681)
Calderón de la Barca was a Spanish Golden Age playwright, poet and writer. For some time in his life he was a Roman Catholic priest and soldier. He developed his work based on the theatrical style initiated by Lope de Vega and was later considered the pinnacle of Spanish Baroque theater.
His works usually show his pessimism about life that is only tempered by his rationalism and his faith in God. Life is a dream is his most memorable work.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616)
Miguel de Cervantes is considered the greatest writer in the Spanish language. His main work, Don Quixote, is considered the first modern novel.
It is a classic of world literature and one of the greatest works of fiction ever written. Its influence on the Spanish language has been so great that it is often called "the language of Cervantes."
Juana Ines de la Cruz (1651-1695)
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a Mexican self-taught writer and philosopher, born in San Miguel Nepantla. She was one of the main poets of the Baroque. Known in life as "The Seventh Muse".
She is considered both a Mexican writer and part of the Spanish Golden Age. The dream, a long philosophical poem, is one of her most representative works.
Jan Gawinski (1622-1684)
Polish poet of the Baroque period, he belonged to the generation of Sarmatians (the generation of John III Sobieski). He studied at Jagellon University and was in the court of Bishop Charles Ferdinand Vasa. His best known works are his Idylls, which glorified life in the Polish villas of Krakow.
Luis de Góngora y Argote (1561-1627)
Góngora was a Spanish lyric poet who, along with his eternal rival Francisco de Quevedo, is considered one of the most prominent Spanish poets of all time.
The Gongorismo style (also called culteranismo), was established by Góngora. His best known works are Solitudes and Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea.
Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658)
Baltasar Gracián was a Spanish Jesuit, Baroque writer, and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud. His works were praised by Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.
The Criticón is undoubtedly his masterpiece and one of the main works of the Golden Age. It is an allegorical novel of great length with philosophical overtones. Gracián is one of the most representative writers of the Spanish baroque literary style called Conceptismo.
Christian Hoffmann von Hoffmannswaldau (1616-1679)
A German poet of the Baroque period, he was born and died in Breslau, where he became interested in politics in his youth, eventually occupying the position of Bürgermeister. While he lived, his poems circulated mainly in manuscript form.
He is considered one of the most influential poets of the period. His style of poetry became known as Galante and was characterized by the use of extravagant metaphors and skillful use of rhetoric and unabashed eroticism.
Wespazjan Kochowski (1633-1700)
Considered one of the most notable historians and poets of Polish Baroque, as well as the clearest representative of the philosophy and literature of Sarmatism. During his life he was involved in the political life of his country and enjoyed great prestige among the nobility.
His masterpiece is La idleness not idle, a collection of several hundred verses divided into four books. He was the best friend of Jan Gawinski, another prominent Baroque poet.
Tobia Lionelli (1647-1714)
Italian writer and preacher, his sermons played a major role in the affirmation of the Slovenian language. He was born to a Slovenian mother and an Italian father in Gorizia County.
He joined the order of the Capuchin Friars Minor and served in various monasteries in Slovenian lands, including the monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi and in Croatia. He wrote more than 230 sermons, which he published in a series of five books that he entitled Sacrum promptuarium or The sacred manual.
Daniel Casper von Lohenstein (1635-1683)
Playwright, lawyer, diplomat and Baroque poet born in Silesia, a historical region located between present-day Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. His poetic production, considering his simultaneous work as a lawyer and diplomat, is amazing.
He was mainly known as the author of theatrical pieces marked by the well-known French Classicism. He used exaggeration and dramatization in his works to highlight the contrast against the "better reality."
Faustina Maratti (1679-1745)
Italian poet and painter of the Baroque period, born in Rome. From an early age she received a good education that included music, fine arts and, above all, poetry.
After her marriage to the poet Giambattista Felice Zappi, her home served as the headquarters of a renowned literary circle that included, among others, Händel, Scarlatti and Crescimbeni. Among her works are 38 sonnets published in her husband's Rime collection in 1723.
John Milton (1608-1674)
English poet, faithful servant of the English Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote during a time of religious flux and political uproar.
He is best known for his epic poem Paraíso Perdido, which he wrote between 1658 and 1664 while he was blind. This work was followed by Recovered Paradise, which he published in 1671 along with the tragedy Samson Agonistes.
Charles Perrault (1628-1703)
Author and member of the French academy. He founded the foundations of a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from old folk stories.
Little Red Riding Hood is the most famous of them, along with Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast. Several of them have been adapted to opera and ballet, theater and film.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673)
Better known by his stage name, Moliere, this French-born playwright is considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature.
Among his main works are The Misanthrope, The School of Wives, Tartufo, The Imaginary Sick, among others. Born into a prosperous family, he studied at Clermont College.
His affinity with the theater was manifested early, when at the age of 13 he was already participating as a traveling actor to polish his skills in comedy and at the same time as a writer.
During a performance of the main character in his play The Imaginary Sick, Moliere, who suffered from tuberculosis, had a coughing attack that ended his life.
Miguel de Molinos (1628-1696)
Spanish mystic, main representative of the religious renaissance known as Quietism. He published in 1675 his most famous work, the Spiritual Guide, which was later translated into Italian, Latin, French, Dutch, English and German.
His texts were extremely popular and by 1685 seven editions had been made in Italy and three in Spain.
Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645)
Spanish politician, writer and nobleman of the Baroque era. Along with his eternal rival, Luis de Góngora, he was one of the most prominent poets of his time.
His style was characterized by what was called conceptismo, in definite contrast with the culteranismo used by Góngora. His only novel was El Buscón, a work divided into three books. He also published 15 books on theological subjects, which included The Cradle and the Burial as well as The Providence of God.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
English poet, playwright, and actor, considered the greatest English-language writer and the most prominent playwright in the world. His extensive work, including collaborations, consists of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few verses.
His plays have been translated into almost all languages and have been performed more than any other playwright. His first works were comedies, considered among the best of the genre.
Later he wrote mainly tragedies, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. In his last stage, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Lope de Vega (1562-1635)
Spanish playwright, poet, and novelist who was one of the key figures of the Spanish Golden Age and the Baroque.
His reputation in the world of Hispanic literature is hardly less than that of Cervantes, while his literary output is unmatched and makes him one of the most prolific authors in the history of world literature.
Nicknamed the Fénix de los Ingenios and the Monster of Nature by Cervantes himself, Lope de Vega reinvented Spanish theater and managed to turn it into a massive cultural phenomenon. At least 3,000 sonnets, 3 novels, 9 epic poems and 500 plays are attributed to him.
Théophile de Viau (1590-1626)
Poet and playwright of the French Baroque, born in Clairac. He participated in the Protestant wars in Guyana between 1615 and 1616. After the war, he was released from the army and became a brilliant young poet at the royal court.
He came into contact with the ideas of the Italian philosopher Lucilio Vanini, who doubted the immortality of the human soul. Due to his revolutionary religious ideas, de Viau was expelled from France in 1619 and traveled for several years in Europe. He wrote multiple satirical poems, sonnets, odes, and elegies.
References
- What are the characteristics of the literature of the baroque period? Taken from enotes.com.
- Early American literature. Taken from coursesite.uhcl.edu.