Luis Vélez de Guevara facts for kids
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Luis Vélez de Guevara (born Luis Vélez de Santander) was an important Spanish writer. He was a famous dramatist (playwright) and novelist. He was born on August 1, 1579, in Écija, Spain. His family had a Jewish background.
After studying at the University of Osuna in 1596, he joined the household of Rodrigo de Castro, a powerful church leader. He even wrote a poem for the marriage of King Philip III. For a while, he used the name Vélez de Santander.
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Early Life and Career
Luis Vélez de Guevara likely served as a soldier in Italy and Algiers. He returned to Spain in 1602. After his military service, he started working for the Count de Saldaña. This is when he began focusing on writing plays for the stage. He passed away in Madrid on November 10, 1644.
Famous Literary Works
Vélez de Guevara was a very busy writer. He wrote over four hundred plays! Some of his best-known plays include Reinar despues de morir, La Luna de la Sierra, and El Diablo está en Cantillana.
Plays About Loyalty
One of his plays, Más pesa el rey que la sangre, tells a powerful story. Its title means "The King weighs more than blood (kinship)." This play is based on a real event during the Reconquista. In the story, a nobleman named Alonso Pérez de Guzmán chooses to let his son be sacrificed. He does this rather than give up the city of Tarifa, which belonged to his King. It shows how important loyalty to the king was at that time.
The Lame Devil Novel
Vélez de Guevara is most famous for his novel, El diablo cojuelo. This book was published in 1641. Its title means "The Lame Devil" or "The Crippled Devil."
The story is quite imaginative. It's about a clever student who hides in an astrologer's attic. There, he accidentally frees a devil from a bottle! To thank the student, the devil shows him all the apartments in Madrid. He reveals the secrets, problems, and funny tricks of the people living inside.
This fantastic novel later inspired another famous book. Alain-René Lesage wrote Le Diable boiteux (The Lame Devil) in 1707, based on Vélez de Guevara's idea. Even Charles Dickens mentioned El Diablo cojuelo in his novel, The Old Curiosity Shop.
See also
In Spanish: Luis Vélez de Guevara para niños
