Juan Ruiz (redirected from Arcipreste de Hita)

Ruiz, Juan 

(nicknamed Archpriest of Hita). Born 1283 in Alcalá de Henares(?); died circa 1350. Spanish poet.

Ruiz wrote the narrative poem Book of Sweet Love (1343), which showed him to be a forerunner of Renaissance literature in Spain. The work is written in the form of an autobiographical story about amorous adventures, illustrated by fables, parables, and allegories. A conflict between asceticism and sensuality underlies the entire work. Ruiz depicted Spanish society soberly and satirically and created brilliant character types.

WORKS

Libro de buen amor [vols.] 1–2. Madrid [1963].
In Russian translation:
From “Kniga o dobroi liubvi.” In Ten’ derev’ev: Stikhi zarubezhnykh poetovvper. I. Erenburga. Moscow, 1969.

REFERENCES

Smirnov, A. Srednevekovaia literatura Ispanii. Leningrad, 1969.
Gariano, C. El mundo poético de Juan Ruiz. Madrid [1968]. (Bibliography on pp. 241–58.) A. L.