Fernán Caballero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fernán Caballero
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| Born | Cecilia Francisca Josefa Böhl und Lütkens y Ruiz de Larrea. 24 December 1796 Morges, Vaud |
| Died | 7 April 1877 (aged 80) Seville, Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Genre | Novel |
| Notable works | La Mitología contada a los niños e historia de los grandes hombres de la Grecia |
| Spouse | Antonio Planells y Bardají (1816-1816), Francisco de Paula Ruiz del Arco (1822-1835), Antonio Arrom y Morales de Ayala (1837-1859) |
| Relatives | Juan Nicolás Böhl de Faber (father), Frasquita Larrea (mother) |
Fernán Caballero was the pen name of a famous Spanish novelist named Cecilia Francisca Josefa Böhl de Faber y Ruiz de Larrea. She was born on December 24, 1796, and passed away on April 7, 1877.
Cecilia chose her pen name, Fernán Caballero, from a small village in the Ciudad Real province of Spain. Her father, Johann Nikolaus Böhl von Faber, was a German writer. Her mother, Frasquita Larrea, was a Spanish writer.
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Early Life and Marriages
Cecilia Francisca Josefa Böhl und Lütkens y Ruiz de Larrea was born in Morges, Switzerland. Her father was a German merchant from Hamburg who lived in Spain for a long time. He married Cecilia's mother, who was from Cádiz.
Her father was known for editing important Spanish literature collections. These included Floresta de rimas antiguas castellanas (1821–1825) and Teatro español anterior a Lope de Vega (1832).
Cecilia mostly grew up and was educated in Hamburg. In 1815, she visited Spain. The next year, in 1816, she married Antonio Planells y Bardaxi, an infantry captain. Sadly, Planells was killed in battle the following year.
In 1822, Cecilia married again. Her second husband was Francisco Ruiz del Arco, who was a Marqués (a type of noble title). He was an officer in the Spanish army.
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Becoming a Famous Writer
After her second husband, Arco Hermoso, passed away in 1835, Cecilia faced financial difficulties. Less than two years later, she married Antonio Arrom de Ayala. He was quite a bit younger than her.
Around ten years later, the name Fernán Caballero became very famous in Spain. This was because of her novel La Gaviota (meaning 'The Seagull'). Before this, she had already published a romance novel in German called Sole (1840). Interestingly, the first version of La Gaviota was written in French.
La Gaviota was translated into Spanish by José Joaquín de Mora. It appeared in a newspaper called El Heraldo in 1849. People loved the book right away. A well-known critic, Eugenio de Ochoa, even compared her to the famous writer Walter Scott.
No other Spanish book in the 1800s became so popular so quickly. La Gaviota was translated into many European languages. It is considered her best work, along with La Familia de Alvareda. This second novel was also first written in German.
Writing Style and Impact
Some of Fernán Caballero's other works, like Lady Virginia and Clemencia, were not as successful. However, her short stories called Cuadros de Costumbres (meaning 'Pictures of Customs') are interesting. Stories like Una en otra and Elia o la Espana treinta años ha are great examples of her lively storytelling.
Fernán Caballero was a natural storyteller with a graceful writing style. She wrote at a time when Spain was changing, but the old ways were still strong. She had a fresh way of looking at things, which made her observations special. She understood Spain well, both as an outsider and as someone who belonged there.
In her later books, she focused more on teaching moral lessons. This sometimes made her writing less simple and charming. But she always said that she wrote about things she had experienced herself. She was a pioneer in realistic writing, which means she wrote about life as it truly was.
For many years, she was one of Spain's most popular writers. When she died in Seville on April 7, 1877, many people were sad. This showed that her honest stories about Spanish customs and traditions still attracted many readers.
Further Information
Her complete works, Obras completas, are part of the Colección de escritores castellanos. A helpful biography by Fernando de Gabriel Ruiz de Apodaca can be found before her Últimas producciones de Fernán Caballero (Seville, 1878).
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Fuentes, Ventura (1908). "Fernán Caballero". Catholic Encyclopedia 3. New York: Robert Appleton. - Palma, Angélica, 'Fernán Caballero: la novelista novelable', Madrid, Espasa Calpe, 1931
- Jarilla Bravo, Salud Maria. "Los refranes recopilados por Fernán Caballero (II)". Paremia, vol. 30, 2020, pp. 199-204. Paremia PDF
See also
In Spanish: Fernán Caballero para niños
