Fernando de Herrera facts for kids
Fernando de Herrera (born around 1534, died 1597) was a famous Spanish poet and writer from the 1500s. People called him "El Divino," which means "The Divine One." He was born in Seville, a city in Spain. We know a lot about him from a book written by Francisco Pacheco in 1599, called Libro de descripción de verdaderos retratos de illustres y memorables varones (which means Book of the Description of the True Portraits of Illustrious and Memorable Men).
Contents
Biography
Herrera's family was not super rich, but they were well-respected in Seville. Back then, Seville was a very busy port city. Many ships sailed from there across the Atlantic Ocean, and people traded with countries all over the world. It was the most diverse and lively city in Spain.
However, this busy city life didn't quite fit Herrera's personality. He preferred quiet places. So, he found peace and comfort by writing poetry. Spending a lot of time alone helped him focus on his writing and artistic interests. But some people, like other scholars, made fun of him for being so different.
Herrera was very smart and knew a lot about many things. He loved Italian poetry, old classic writings, and the Bible. All these things influenced his own work. He especially admired a Spanish poet named Garcilaso de la Vega, whose style shaped his poems. Herrera wasn't just interested in old knowledge; he also cared about current events, especially military news. You can see this in his patriotic canciones (songs), where he wrote about military leaders and battles of his time.
To find the quiet space he needed, Herrera joined the Catholic Church in a small way. He became a clergyman and received a special income from a church in San Andrés, a part of Seville. Even though he loved being alone, Herrera wasn't a hermit. Around 1559, he became friends with Don Álvaro Colón y Portugal, who was a Count, and his wife, Doña Leonor de Milán de Córdoba y Aragón.
The Count often invited Herrera to his tertulia. This was a special meeting for a group of important writers and artists. There, Herrera made many friends with local poets, writers, painters, and artists. His friendship with Doña Leonor was very important because she became his "muse." A muse is someone who inspires an artist. Herrera's love for Doña Leonor inspired his beautiful love poems, even though she didn't feel the same way about him.
After Doña Leonor died in 1581, Herrera lost his desire to write more love poems. The Count also died in 1582, and the literary meetings at the palace stopped. After this, Herrera focused on two big projects. He started writing a history of the world up to the death of Charles V. He also began a biography of Thomas More. Herrera continued to work on his writing until he died in 1597, at the age of 63.
Works
Poetry
Herrera studied poetry very carefully and became a master at it. This is why Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, called him "el Divino" ("the divine one"). His deep knowledge of poetry also made him a leader among the poets in Seville.
Herrera's works cover many different topics, showing how much he knew and how wide his interests were. For example, his military poems (his canciones, or songs) tell stories about military leaders and events of his time. In these poems, Herrera showed his love for his country, his loyalty to the Christian faith, and his respect for great leaders.
Here are three examples of his military poems:
- Canción por la Victoria del Señor don Juan (Ode to the Victory of Don Juan), written in 1572. This poem shows his patriotism by praising the Spanish navy's victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
- Canción al señor don Juan de Austria vencedor de los moriscos en las Alpujarras (Ode to Don Juan de Austria, Conqueror of the Moors in the Alpujarras), written in 1571. Here, Herrera celebrates a leader who stopped a Muslim revolt between 1568 and 1571.
- Canción por la pérdida del Rei don Sebastián (Ode to the Defeat of King Sebastian), written in 1579. In this poem, Herrera remembers the death of a Portuguese king.
Herrera's love poems, inspired by the Countess of Gelves, can be divided into two periods. In the first period, called "Rimas Juventiles" (Youthful Rhymes), Herrera described love as a happy state. He wrote that in this state, there is no pain or sadness, and even impossible things can happen. In the second period, love goes beyond reality and lives in a world of imagination and perfection. The "Poesías" (Poems), which were published in several editions, belong to this period.
A third important part of Herrera's work, and what he is best known for, is his connection to Garcilaso de la Vega. Herrera greatly admired this Spanish poet and writer. One of Herrera's most famous works is Obras de Garci Lasso con anotaciones de Fernando de Herrera (Works of Garcilaso de la Vega with Comments by Fernando de Herrera), written in 1580. This work shows not only Herrera's admiration for Garcilaso's poetry but also his own amazing skill. He understood the tiny details of Garcilaso's rhythm, word choice, how words were ordered, how clear the poems were, the meter, and how all these things affected the poem. This deep knowledge made Herrera pay such close attention to his own writing.
Other works
Herrera also translated works from Latin and Italian into Spanish. He wrote a biography of Thomas More and a history of the world. Some of his well-known works include:
- Relacion de la guerra de Chipre y sucesso de la batalla Naual de Lepanto Escrito por Fernando de Herrera, dirigido al ilustrissimo y excelentissimo dõ Alõso Perez de Guzman el Bueno, Duque de Medina Sidonia y Conde de Niebla. Seville: Alonso Picardo, written in 1572. This book includes Cancion en Alabanza de la Diuina Magestad por la vitoria del Señor don Juan.
- Algunas obras de Fernando de Herrera al illustriss. S.D. Fernando Enriquez de Ribera Marques de Tarifa. Seville: Printed by Andrea Pescioni, 1582.
- Tomás Moro de Fernando de Herrera al ilustrissimo Señor don Rodrigo de Castro Cardenal y Arzobispo de Sevilla. Seville: Alonso de la Barrera, 1592.
- Versos de Fernando de Herrera Emendados y divididos por el en tres libros: A don Gaspar de Guzmán, Conde de Olivares, Gentilhombre de la Cámara del Príncipe nuestro Señor, Alcaide de los Alcazares Reales de Sevilla y Comendador de Bivoras en la Orden de Calatrava. Seville: Gabriel Ramos Vejarano, 1619.
- Rimas de Fernando de Herrera, 2 volumes. Madrid: Imprenta Real, 1786.
- Poesías, edited by García de Diego. Madrid: "La Lectura," 1914.
- Obras de Garci Lasso de la Vega con anotaciones de Fernando de Herrera al ilutrissimo i ecelentissimo Señor don Antonio de Guzman, Marques de Ayamonte, Governador del Estado de Milan, i Capitan General de Italia. Seville: Alonso de la Barrera, 1580.
See also
In Spanish: Fernando de Herrera para niños
