Bartolomé de Torres Naharro
Encyclopedia
Bartolomé de Torres Naharro (c. 1485, Torre de Miguel Sesmero
, Extremadura
– c. 1530) was a Spanish
dramatist and Leonese language writer of Jewish converso descent.
After some years of soldiering and of captivity in Algiers
, Torres Naharro took holy orders
, settled in Rome
about 1511, and there devoted himself chiefly to writing plays. Though he alludes to the future pope, Clement VII
, as his protector, he left Rome to enter the household of Fabrizio Colonna
at Naples
as a chaplain where his works were printed under the title of Propaladia (1517). He is conjectured to have returned to his native place, and to have died there shortly after 1529.
His Diálogo del nacimiento is written in unavowed, though obvious, imitation of other Leonese language
writers as Juan del Encina
, but in his subsequent plays he shows a much larger conception of dramatic possibilities. He classifies his pieces as comedias á noticia and comedias á fantasía; the former, of which the Soldatesca and Tinellaria are examples, present in dramatic form incidents within his personal experience; the latter, which include such plays as Serafina, Himenea, Calamita and Aquilana, present imaginary episodes with adroitness and persuasiveness.
According to an evaluation in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
:
Only one complete copy of the Propaladia is known to exist. This book was stolen from the Royal Danish Library in the seventies and was not seen again until it turned up at an auction at Christies in 2003 where relatives of the original thief tried to sell it.
Torre de Miguel Sesmero
Torre de Miguel Sesmero is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain .Currently being built in a large area of the municipality, the second solar-thermal plant biggest in Europe, so that these people contributes greatly renewable energy activities to help preserve the...
, Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
– c. 1530) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
dramatist and Leonese language writer of Jewish converso descent.
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Torres Naharro took holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
, settled in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
about 1511, and there devoted himself chiefly to writing plays. Though he alludes to the future pope, Clement VII
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
, as his protector, he left Rome to enter the household of Fabrizio Colonna
Fabrizio Colonna
Fabrizio Colonna was an Italian condottiero, a member of the powerful Colonna family. He was the son of Edoardo Colonna and Filippa Conti....
at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
as a chaplain where his works were printed under the title of Propaladia (1517). He is conjectured to have returned to his native place, and to have died there shortly after 1529.
His Diálogo del nacimiento is written in unavowed, though obvious, imitation of other Leonese language
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...
writers as Juan del Encina
Juan del Encina
Juan del Enzina – the spelling he used – or Juan del Encina – modern Spanish spelling – was a composer, poet and playwright, often called the founder of Spanish drama...
, but in his subsequent plays he shows a much larger conception of dramatic possibilities. He classifies his pieces as comedias á noticia and comedias á fantasía; the former, of which the Soldatesca and Tinellaria are examples, present in dramatic form incidents within his personal experience; the latter, which include such plays as Serafina, Himenea, Calamita and Aquilana, present imaginary episodes with adroitness and persuasiveness.
According to an evaluation in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition is a 29-volume reference work, an edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. It was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time...
:
- Torres Naharro is much less dexterous in stagecraft than many inferior successors, his humour is rude and boisterous and his diction is unequal; but to a varied knowledge of human nature he adds knowledge of dramatic effect, and his rapid dialogue, his fearless realism and vivacious fancy prepared the way for the romanticRomanticismRomanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
drama in Spain.
Only one complete copy of the Propaladia is known to exist. This book was stolen from the Royal Danish Library in the seventies and was not seen again until it turned up at an auction at Christies in 2003 where relatives of the original thief tried to sell it.