Verdaguer, Jacinto

Verdaguer, Jacinto (zhäsēn`tō vārdəgār`), 1845–1902, Catalan poet, considered the national poet of Catalonia and the most beloved poet of the Catalan Renaissance of the 19th cent. Religious troubles and poor health frequently darkened his life. Known as a saintly priest, he wrote works of religious fervor including Idilis y Cants mistichs (1879). He depicted the Catalan countryside in his long Canigó (1886). In his masterpiece, the great epic La Atlántida (1877), he dealt with prehistoric myths of the Iberian peninsula; it was the basis for an opera-oratorio by Manuel de Falla.