Jorge de Montemor facts for kids
Jorge de Montemayor (born around 1520 – died February 26, 1561) was a famous writer from Portugal. He wrote novels and poems, mostly in Spanish. His most well-known book is called Diana, a pastoral romance published in 1559.
Early Life and Travels
Jorge de Montemayor was born in a town called Montemor-o-Velho, near Coimbra in Portugal. His last name, Montemayor, comes from this town.
It seems he studied music when he was young. In 1543, he moved to Spain. He worked there as a chorister for Infanta Maria, who was the first wife of King Philip II.
In 1552, Jorge went back to Portugal. He joined the group of Infanta Juana, who was married to João Manuel, Prince of Portugal. After Prince João Manuel died in 1554, Jorge returned to Spain.
He might have served in the army and traveled a lot. Some say he went with King Philip II to England in 1555. He also traveled in Italy and the Low Countries. We know for sure that his poems were published in Antwerp in 1554 and again in 1558.
His Famous Book: Diana
Jorge de Montemayor is most famous for his prose work, Diana. This book is a pastoral romance, which means it's a story about shepherds and shepherdesses in a beautiful countryside setting. It was published around 1559.
Sadly, Montemayor died shortly after Diana was published. He passed away in Piedmont, possibly due to a personal conflict. Later editions of his book even mention the exact date of his death.
Why Diana Was Important
Diana is a very important book for several reasons:
- It was the first pastoral novel published in Spain.
- It started a popular trend in literature. Many other writers began to write similar stories.
- It even influenced famous English plays! An episode from Diana was translated into English and later used in William Shakespeare's play, The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Even though Portuguese was Montemayor's first language, he wrote almost all of Diana in Spanish. He only used Portuguese for two songs and a short part in the sixth section of the book. His Spanish writing was so good that even Miguel de Cervantes, a very famous Spanish writer, praised his prose style.
Diana was very popular during Montemayor's time. It was printed 17 times and had two follow-up stories written by other authors in the 1500s. People also made fun of it in parodies, copied it, and translated it into French and English.
Images for kids
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1869 facsimile of a 1563 edition of his poetry
