James Fitzmaurice-Kelly facts for kids

James Fitzmaurice-Kelly (1858 – November 30, 1923) was a British writer who became an expert on Spanish literature. He was also a Fellow of the British Academy, which is a very respected group of scholars.

Early Life and Learning Spanish

James Fitzmaurice-Kelly was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father was Colonel Thomas Kelly. James went to school at St Charles's College in Kensington. There, he learned Spanish from another student. He was very good at teaching himself, and he even learned to read the famous Spanish book Don Quixote on his own.

In 1885, he got a job as a tutor in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He taught the son of a Spanish nobleman, Buenaventura Misa y Busheroy.

Becoming a Spanish Literature Expert

While in Madrid, Spain, James Fitzmaurice-Kelly started writing a biography about the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, who wrote Don Quixote. Around 1886, he met important Spanish writers and thinkers, like Ambassador Juan Valera.

He wrote articles about Spanish culture for well-known magazines like The Spectator and Athenæum. When he returned to England, he became famous for his reviews and articles about Spanish literature. His book, History of Spanish Literature, was published in 1898. This book really showed everyone how much he knew about the subject.

In 1902, he became a special lecturer at Oxford University. In 1907, he was invited to the United States to give speeches at places like the Hispanic Society of America and universities such as Harvard University and Yale University.

From 1909 to 1916, he was a professor at the University of Liverpool. He also taught a special course at Cambridge University in 1916. Later, he became a professor at London University for a special course about Cervantes, until he retired in 1920.

Because of his great work, he was chosen as a Fellow of the British Academy in 1906. He also became a member of important Spanish academies, like the Real Academia Española. In 1916, he gave a famous lecture comparing Cervantes and William Shakespeare.

He also wrote about Spanish literature for big encyclopedias like the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition.

Important Books and Works

James Fitzmaurice-Kelly worked on many books. He either edited them, wrote introductions for them, or wrote them himself.

Books he helped edit or introduce

• The History of Don Quixote of The Mancha (1896)
• The Complete Works of Cervantes (starting in 1901)
• Don Quixote, with John Ormsby (1899–1900)
• Oxford Book of Spanish Verse (1913)

Books he wrote

• Life of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1892)
• A history of Spanish Literature (1898)
• Cervantes in England (1905)
• Chapters on Spanish Literature (1908)
• Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: A Memoir (1913)
• Cervantes and Shakespeare (1916)
• Spanish Literature Primer (1922)

His Final Years

James Fitzmaurice-Kelly passed away at his home in Sydenham, England, on November 30, 1923. He was cremated and laid to rest at West Norwood Cemetery a few days later.

See also

In Spanish: James Fitzmaurice-Kelly para niños