Juan Ruiz facts for kids

Juan Ruiz (around 1283–1350) was a famous medieval Spanish poet. He is often called the Archpriest of Hita (Arcipreste de Hita). He is most well-known for his long, funny, and clever poem called Libro de buen amor (which means The Book of Good Love).

Biography

Early Life

Juan Ruiz was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. We don't know much about his early life, but he was a cleric (a church official) and probably studied in Toledo. Even though his birth name was Juan Ruiz, people usually called him by his title: "Archpriest of Hita."

Time in Prison

According to his own book, Juan Ruiz was in prison for several years, possibly between 1337 and 1350. Some believe he was imprisoned because of his writings, which sometimes made fun of church leaders. One of his poems says he was put in prison by Gil Albornoz, who was the Archbishop of Toledo.

It's not clear exactly why he was imprisoned, or the exact dates. However, it seems he finished his famous book, Libro de buen amor, in 1343. It's also interesting to note that "Juan Ruiz" was a very common name back then, like "John Smith" today. So, some people think he might have used this name to represent an "everyman" or common person.

Death

It is thought that Juan Ruiz died around 1350, possibly while still in prison. By 1351, he was no longer listed as the Archpriest of Hita.

The Book of Good Love

Libro de Buen Amor (The Book of Good Love) is a very long and exciting poem. It includes many different types of writing, like poems about Jesus and Mary, stories about Ruiz's own experiences with love, and fables (short stories with a moral). The poem has 1,728 stanzas (sections).

Some people compare Juan Ruiz to the famous English writer Geoffrey Chaucer because of how wide-ranging and lively his writing is. People often wonder if the book is truly about Juan Ruiz's own life or if it's mostly made-up stories.

His language is very rich and creative. He often repeats ideas in different ways, like a sermon. He used everyday, popular words, which made his writing feel very alive. Juan Ruiz also knew a lot about different cultures. He understood some Arabic, which was spoken in Spain at the time. He also used ideas from other writers like Ovid and from French stories. He was very good at adapting fables from books like Aesop's.

All these different ideas are mixed together in his poem, which is like a story about his life. He also included religious songs and funny parodies. He understood human feelings very well and could write in a gentle or bold way, often with a clever sense of humor. Ruiz showed a complete picture of society in Spain during the 1300s. He knew about the weaknesses of both church leaders and regular people. He wrote about many different kinds of people and their adventures.

Juan Ruiz was also good at creating memorable characters. Some of his characters, like Don Melón and Doña Endrina, were early versions of characters in later famous Spanish plays. The character of Trotaconventos from his book even inspired the famous character Celestina.

Ruiz was proud of how he changed the way poems were written. His book mainly uses a style called cuaderna via, which was based on French poems. But he made this style more varied and faster in Castilian Spanish. He also experimented with adding rhymes inside lines or changing the length of lines. His writing always felt unique and full of his own personality. He showed a strong love for life, whether he was writing about towns, the countryside, traveling, or even being in prison.

Today, there are three manuscripts (old handwritten copies) of the Libro de Buen Amor. The one from Salamanca, called S, is in Madrid's Biblioteca Real and is considered the best. The other two are known as Gayoso (G) and Toledo (T).

Legacy

Juan Ruiz's influence can be seen in later Spanish works, like El Corbacho by Alphonso Martinez de Toledo. He was also mentioned with respect by another famous writer, Santillana. We know his fame spread beyond Spain because parts of a Portuguese version of his book still exist.

For a long time, he was forgotten, until 1790 when a new edition of his poems was published. Since then, his fame has grown steadily. Today, experts agree that he is the greatest Castilian poet of his century.

Paul Heyse (1830–1914), a German writer, translated one of Ruiz's poems into German in 1852. This translation was later set to music for voice and piano by Hugo Wolf (1860–1903) in his 1891 collection of songs.

See also

In Spanish: Arcipreste de Hita para niños