RUBÉN DARÍO: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2026

Rubén Darío (1867-1916), real name Félix Rubén García Sarmiento, was a Nicaraguan journalist, diplomat, and writer outstanding in poetry. He is considered the founder and greatest exponent of literary modernism among all Spanish-speaking poets.

Due to his literary skills he was called the "prince of Castilian letters". He is considered the most influential figure of the 20th century on the Hispanic poetic plane. His authority and guidance on the lyrical writers of this century is unmatched. Certainly a man of innovation, with great determination and impact in the social and cultural sphere.

Ruben Dario. See page for author, via Wikimedia Commons

Biography

Rubén Darío was born in the city of Metapa (currently Ciudad Darío), on January 18, Friday, 1867. He was the first-born of the marriage between Don Manuel García and Rosa Sarmiento, two second cousins ​​to whom love tended its son and they managed to consummate their ecclesiastical and marital union.

Unfortunately, Manuel García had problems with alcohol and used to be a womanizer, which led Rosa Sarmiento to leave home, in full pregnancy, to conceive her son Félix Rubén in the city of Metapa, where she went to take refuge.

In the long run, the couple settled their differences and came to conceive a girl who was named Cándida Rosa. Unfortunately the girl died a few days after she was born. The loss caused another breakdown in the García-Sarmiento union, so Rosa left her husband and went to live in the city of León with her son.

In the city of León, they were received by Bernarda Sarmiento, Rosa's aunt, who lived with Félix Ramírez Madregil, a colonel. Over time Rosa Sarmiento empathized with another man with whom she moved to Choluteca, a department in Honduras, setting her place of residence in the populous San Marcos de Colón and leaving Rubén behind.

The reason for his last name

In the poet's baptism papers, his first surname was García. However, in those places his father's family had been known for many generations to bear the surname Darío. The poet assumed the latter and explained it later in his autobiography.

This is how Rubén Darío himself expressed it:

“According to what some elders in that city of my childhood have told me, one of my great-great-grandparents was named Darío. In the small town everyone knew him as Don Darío; to his sons and daughters, by the Daríos, the Daríos.

Thus, the first surname disappeared, to the point that my paternal great-grandmother already signed Rita Darío; and this, converted into patronymic, came to acquire legal value; Well, my father, who was a merchant, carried out all his businesses under the name of Manuel Darío ”…

Poet's childhood

Rubén Darío spent his first years of life in León, under the care of those he considered his real parents: Bernarda and Félix, his great-uncles. He had such affection for his great-uncles that at school he signed his works as “Félix Rubén Ramírez”.

He was a wonderful child. According to himself, he learned to read from the age of three. He read early, according to his autobiography, The Thousand and One Nights, Don Quixote, The Offices of Cicero, the Bible, among others. Books of thick content for an adult, how much more for a child, and still he eagerly devoured them.

He had little contact with his parents. Her mother remained in Honduras and her father visited her little. He called the latter "Uncle Manuel" and never established a very close relationship with him.

After the death of his great-uncle, Colonel Félix Ramírez, around 1871, his family was in financial trouble. Everything should have been kept to a minimum. Years later, due to the same monetary crisis, it was even thought of putting the child to learn the tailoring trade.

He studied at various institutions in the city of León, until, at the age of 13, he went on to educate himself with the Jesuits. A not very pleasant experience, which he later captured in his writings, bringing with him certain disagreements.

His early writings

In 1879 he had already written sonnets. At the young age of 13 he made his first publication in a newspaper, an elegy called Lágrima, specifically in El Termometer, a newspaper in the city of Rivas, in 1880.

He also collaborated in León with the literary magazine El Ensayo. Due to his early literary productivity he was baptized as the "Child Poet."

In his first letters, a marked influence of Núñez de Arce, Zorrilla, Ventura de la Vega and Campoamor, recognized Spanish poets of the time, was noticed. With the passing of time, he turned his interests to study Victor Hugo and his vast work. This French poet was a conclusive influence on his literary creation.

His lyrics, from the beginning, had tendencies towards liberalism, to face any imposition of thought. The Catholic Church did not escape this. The Jesuit, a composition he published in 1881, is a clear example of this.

With only 14 years of age, he had the material ready to publish his first book, which he called Poetry and Articles in Prose. However, it was not published until fifty years after his death.

Thanks to his privileged memory he was praised. It was common at that time to see him as a poet invited to public events and social gatherings to recite his poetry and that of other renowned writers.

Application to go to Europe

By then, at just 14 years old, the liberal politicians decided to take him to Managua and nominated him to congress to travel to Europe to study, as an incentive for his great literary skills. Despite being able to earn the credit, it was denied by Pedro Joaquín Chamorro y Alfaro.

The politician who cut short his trip was nothing more and nothing less than the president of the congress. Chamarro, with a marked conservative tendency, did not agree with Darío's anti-church writings, hence his refusal. As a result of this, it was decided to send the young poet to study in the well-known Nicaraguan city of Granada.

Despite the tempting proposal, Rubén Darío decided to remain in Managua. While there he maintained his prolific and young journalistic life serving as a collaborator simultaneously with the newspapers El Porvenir and El Ferrocarril.

Travel to El Salvador

In 1882, the young poet set sail for El Salvador. There he was protected by Rafael Zaldivar, president of the republic. He was enchanted by the young writer's gifts, after the poet Joaquín Méndez introduced him to him.

In El Salvador, Rubén Darío met Francisco Gavidia, a renowned Salvadoran poet, specialist in French poetry. With him, the young Nicaraguan experimented by trying to adapt French Alexandrian verses to Castilian meter.

Darío was captivated by the Alexandrian verse, so much so that it became a common feature of his poetry and of the enormous poetic movement that would later engender: Modernism.

In El Salvador Rubén Darío had a lot of popularity. He was sought after in many fashionable places in high places and elite literary groups, even participating in the celebrations for the centenary of Bolívar.

Due to a reversal of fate, he began to suffer financial problems, a situation that worsened when he contracted smallpox. All this series of unfortunate events pushed him to return to his native country in 1883. However, the cultural and intellectual baggage obtained was of immeasurable value.

Back home

Rubén Darío returned to León, where he was only for a short time, from there he traveled to Granada to fix his stay in Managua again. There he worked in the National Library.

He ingeniously continued to work on poetic innovations, his work did not cease. He had another book ready for 1884: Epistles and Poems. This publication was also postponed, seeing light in 1888 under the name First Notes.

Despite being at ease and having a constant production, Darío did not feel full in Managua. His friend Juan José Cañas recommended that he go to Chile to continue his growth. Rubén did so, and in 1886, on June 5, he headed for those new lands.

Chile and the beginning of modernism

Valparaíso received the Nicaraguan poet 19 days after leaving Managua, on June 24. Upon arriving in Chilean lands, he was supported by the poets Eduardo de la Barra and Eduardo Poirier, thanks to the good connections obtained in Managua.

Poirier managed to get the young poet a job in Santiago, in the newspaper La Época, in July of that same year. There he also collaborated, some time later, with the newspaper El Heraldo. He participated in various literary competitions, obtaining recognition for his performance in letters.

Things were not rosy in Chile. Rubén Darío suffered from constant attacks by the aristocracy of that country, who humiliated him on more than one occasion for considering him unfit to walk with them because of his low lineage. He was also financially disabled several times.

Despite the humiliations and slights, his talent prevailed, allowing him to make renowned friends. Pedro Balmaceda Toro was one of them, nothing more and nothing less than the son of the current president. She also received great support from Manuel Rodríguez Mendoza, to whom she dedicated her first book of poems: Abrojos.

Azul, the beginning of modernism

Between ups and downs, rejections and acceptances, in 1888 he published the book that marked his life and work, and which gave way to the formal emergence of literary Modernism: Azul. The text was not an instant hit with the public, however it received rave reviews from connoisseurs, including the Spanish Juan Valera.

Valera was a well-known novelist, with a long career and great repercussion in the literary world. The Spaniard, impacted by the work of the Nicaraguan, published in 1988 in El Imparcial, a Madrid newspaper, two notes for Rubén Darío.

In these letters, the Spanish novelist highlighted the great value of Rubén Darío's lyrics, recognizing him as "a talented prose writer and poet." However, not everything was pink, Valera also criticized the excessive French influence and the abuse of Gallicism.

Those letters from Valera were decisive in promoting the career and work of Rubén Darío, being propagated in a large part of the important Latin American press. Rubén Darío, after so many stumbles, began to glimpse the fruit of his effort.

Blue: fame, wedding and misadventure

With Valera's recommendations, Azul's literary quality and the fame he forged after years of work, job offers began to flow. The newspaper La Nación, one of the most representative in Argentina, gave him the post of correspondent.

After sending his first column to La Nación, the young poet returned to Nicaragua. He arrived on March 7, 1889, in the port of Corinth. Already in León, he was received triumphantly.

His stay in Nicaragua was short. A few days later he went to San Salvador, where as soon as he arrived he assumed the position of director of the newspaper La Unión, a newspaper that disseminates unitary ideas in Latin America.

In San Salvador, he married Rafaela Contreras Cañas, the daughter of Álvaro Contreras, a renowned Honduran speaker. The wedding was in 1890, on June 21.

Just after their wedding there was a coup against Francisco Menéndez, president of El Salvador at that time. The most traumatic thing was that the one who perpetrated the coup was General Ezeta, who the day before was a guest at the poet's wedding.

Flight to Guatemala

As soon as he got into power, Ezeta offered charges to Darío, who flatly refused and at the end of June he went to Guatemala. His wife remained in El Salvador. By then, the Guatemalan president, Manuel Lisandro Barillas, began preparations for the war against El Salvador and the recently established dictatorship.

Rubén Darío could not keep quiet and, even under the possible dangers that his wife could run, published in El Imparcial, a Guatemalan newspaper, a column titled "Black History", where he abhorred the betrayal perpetrated by Ezeta.

While in Guatemala they gave him the address of the newspaper El Correo de la Tarde, released at that time. Taking advantage of the peak of his career in Guatemala, he published that same year the second edition of his book Azul, with more content, including Valera's letters as a prologue.

Also Azul, in its second edition, featured the appearance of the so-called Golden Sonnets (Venus, Caupolicán and De Invierno), as well as Echos (three poems written in French) and Los medallones.

In 1891 Rubén Darío met Rafaela Contreras again. On February 11 of that year they decided to consecrate their religious vows in the Cathedral of Guatemala.

Depart to Costa Rica

Due to a budget cut by the Guatemalan government, the newspaper El Correo de la Tarde stopped receiving funds and had to close in June. Because of this, the poet decided to go to Costa Rica, to see how he was doing. In August of that year Rubén Darío settled with his wife in San José, the country's capital.

Once again, the economic vicissitudes knocked on his door, and this time at an important moment: the birth of his first-born, Rubén Darío Contreras, in 1891, on November 12. The poet barely supported his family with odd jobs, fame flew by and left little in its wake.

Travels, dreams come true and sadness

Trying to find improvements to his situation, the poet returned to Guatemala in 1892 and from there he went to Nicaragua. Upon arriving in his country, he was surprised to have been appointed a member of the delegation that would travel to Madrid to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. His dream of going to Europe was fulfilled.

The poet arrived in Spain on August 14, 1892. While in Madrid he made contact with renowned poets and writers of the time, such as: José Zorrilla, Salvador Rueda, Gaspar Núñez (whom he admired since childhood), Emilia Pardo Bazán, Juan Valera (who made him achieve fame), among other greats.

The links opened the doors that allowed him to achieve the stability he longed for. However, amid the unexpected joy, a deep sadness suddenly overwhelmed him. Having returned to Nicaragua, he received the news that his wife had become seriously ill, dying on January 23, 1893.

The poet, after a short mourning, renewed ties with his old love: Rosario Murillo. The bride's family lobbied for them to marry, and they did.

Darío, the honorary consul of Colombia

In April 1893, he traveled to Panama with his wife, where he received a surprise appointment from Colombia: President Miguel Antonio Caro had appointed him honorary consul in the city of Buenos Aires. Darío, without thinking about it, left his wife in Panama and began the trip to Argentina.

In the intermediate transfers he went to New York, there he met the famous Cuban poet José Martí. Immediately there was a giant link between the two. From there he went to fulfill another great dream of his youth: he traveled to the city of light, Paris.

In the French capital he was guided to bohemian life, where he met the poet whom he admired so much and who so influenced his work: Paul Verlaine. However, the meeting with his idol was a failure.

Finally, on August 13, he arrived in Buenos Aires. His wife had been left behind, in Panama, waiting for their second child, whom they would call Darío Darío and who unfortunately died of tetanus because his grandmother cut with scissors without disinfecting his umbilical cord.

Buenos Aires and waste

The position in Buenos Aires, although it was honorary because there was no representative Colombian population, allowed him to rub shoulders with intellectuals and live a life of debauchery. He abused alcohol in such a way that on several occasions they had to give him medical attention.

Between bohemian life and excesses, Rubén Darío did not stop collaborating with several newspapers simultaneously, including: La Nación, La Prensa, El Tiempo, La Tribuna, among others.

Death of his mother

Rosa Sarmiento, the poet's mother, died in 1895, on May 3. Although the poet had almost no dealings with her, her death upset him in a considerable way. As if that were not enough, in October of that same year the Colombian government eliminated the honorary consulate, which implied a considerable economic decline for the poet.

Due to the loss of the job that allowed him to maintain his life of debauchery, he chose to work as secretary to the general director of the Post Office and Telegraph, Carlos Carles.

It is in Buenos Aires where he published Los raros, a compilation that deals with the writers who most caught his attention. However, his masterpiece, the one that really marked the literary modernist movement and which he also published on Argentine soil, was Profane Prose and Other Poems.

Rubén Darío himself, by way of prophecy, indicated in his autobiography that the poems of that work would have an immense scope. However, and as is common, instantly it was not that way.

Back to europe

At the end of 1898, as a correspondent for La Nación, Darío embarked on a new adventure to Europe, specifically Spain, to cover everything related to the tragedy that occurred that same year.

To fulfill his commitment he sent four monthly texts to the newspaper explaining in detail how Spain was after being defeated by the United States in the so-called Spanish-American War.

Those writings were later compiled in the book Contemporary Spain. Crónicas y relatos literarios, published in 1901. In this work the Nicaraguan poet expresses his deep empathy with Spain and his faith in its reordering, even against adversity.

His work had such an impact that it moved the fibers of young poets, who bet on the defense and enhancement of modernism in Spanish lands. Among them are: Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Jacinto Benavente, among others.

The love of her life knocked on the door

In 1899, in the gardens of the Casa de Campo in Madrid, Rubén Darío met Francisca Sánchez de Pozo, the gardener's daughter. The poet was still legally married, however that was no excuse for being with her.

She ended up being his end-of-life partner. Francisca brought four children to the world, of whom only one survived. The rest of the years the poet dedicated himself to living intensely, helping to spread his work, amplifying his influence on the lives of the poets of the time.

After being between Panama and New York, he set foot on Nicaraguan soil again. In vain he made his request for divorce with his old wife, yet he was received in his town with honors. So much was the esteem and respect, that he was conferred the position of ambassador of Nicaragua in Madrid.

Despite his great influence and multiple publications, it was difficult for him to keep up with his ambassadorial salary, so he turned to friends, including Mariano Miguel de Val, in order to survive.

Final days and death

After setting aside the diplomatic post of his country, Darío dedicated himself to continue producing books. He made his famous Canto a la Argentina, requested by La Nación.

Already in those days the symptoms caused by his addiction to alcohol were more marked, seriously deteriorating his health. He had constant psychological crises and did not stop exalting ideas related to death.

He traveled to Mexico in 1910, to commemorate, together with other officials, the hundred years of Mexican independence. The dictator Porfirio Díaz refused to receive him, however the Mexican people gave him a triumphant treat.

In that same year, during a brief stay in Cuba and under the influence of alcohol, he tried to commit suicide. In 1912 he went on a tour of Latin America and dedicated himself to writing his autobiography. He then traveled to Mallorca and after the outbreak of World War II he decided to return to America to defend pacifist ideas.

When he left Europe he left his wife and two of his children. He passed through Guatemala and ended up arriving in Nicaragua. His state of health was already deplorable at the time. On January 7, 1916, he died in León, the beloved land of his childhood.

The post mortem honors spanned several days. It was Simeón Pereira y Castellón, bishop of León, who presided over the acts. His remains were buried that same year, on February 13, in the Cathedral of León.

Plays

Poetry

- Caltrops (1887).

- Rhymes (1887).

- Blue (1888).

- Epic song to the glories of Chile (1887).

- First notes (1888).

- Profane prose and other poems (1896).

- Songs of life and hope. The swans and other poems (1905).

- Ode to Miter (1906).

- The wandering song. Madrid (1907).

- Autumn Poem and Other Poems (1910).

- Song to Argentina and other poems (1914).

- Posthumous lyre (1919).

Prose

- The rare. (1896).

- Contemporary Spain (1901).

- Pilgrimages (1901).

- The caravan passes (1902).

- Solar lands (1904).

- Opinions. (1906).

- The trip to Nicaragua and tropical Intermezzo (1909).

- Letters (1911).

- Everything on the fly (1912).

- The life of Rubén Darío written by himself (1913).

- The island of gold (1915)

- History of my books (1916).

- Dispersed prose (post mortem, 1919).

References

1. Rubén Darío's bibliography. (2016). Spain: Cervantes. Recovered from: cervantes.es
2. De la Oliva, C. (1999). Ruben Dario. (N / a): Search Biographies. Recovered from: Buscabiografias.com
3. Ruben Dario. (S. f.). (N / a): Biographies and lives. Recovered from: biografiasyvidas.com
4. Biography of Rubén Darío, life and literary work of the poet. (2016). (N / a): History and biographies. Recovered from: historiaybiografias.com
5. Ruben Dario. (S. f.). (N / a): Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org