B altasar Gracian is an outstanding Spanish writer of the 17th century. He successfully combined spiritual and worldly activities - he was a Jesuit and a philosopher at the same time. He left a legacy of magnificent books that made up an anthology of Spanish literature and are still classics of the Baroque era.
Biography
According to scarce information, B altasar Gracian was born in 1601 in Belmont, Spain. He was the son of a poor village doctor, and from an early age he was prepared for the fate of a priest. It is known that in 1619 his uncle helped him enter the school of the Jesuits Calatayude and Huesca. After leaving school Gracian B altazar independently studied grammar and philosophy in the cities of Callatayuda and Girona, in 1623 he was lucky enough to become a student at the University of Zaragoza, where he devoted himself to the study of theology.
After graduating from university, the future writer becomes a teacher of rhetoric and grammar at Kalalutuda College. In 1631, he undergoes additional training at the school of the Jesuit order, where they trained preachers andconfessors.
Literary environment
In 1636, B altasar Gracian began a new stage in his life. He was associated with moving to the city of Huesca, which at that time was the most important cultural center of the province of Aragon. The move was associated with a new assignment - in the local church, Gracian was to serve as a preacher. It was here that new names in the field of culture, literature and art were born, and, perhaps, it was under the influence of such an atmosphere that B altasar Gracian decided to write his first literary work.
Treatise "Hero"
Gracian called his first treatise "Hero". This literary work was written very quickly, literally a year after moving to Huesca. Invaluable help in writing a treatise to the future writer was provided by a rich and influential friend who had an excellent library. The Hero is an excellent example of medieval didactic prose, which, like a mirror, reflects the virtues and moral qualities that those who seek recognition among their peers should have. With the help of this work, Gracian begins to develop the theme of moral philosophy. The treatise was published under the name of Lorenzo Graciana, who was a cousin of B altasar, because, according to the order charter, the Jesuits did not have the right to publish their works, which did not pass internal censorship.
Pocket Oracle
The most famous philosopher brought a collection of his own quotes and aphorisms, known as the "Pocket Oracle". It contains the aphorisms of B althazarGraciana and Morales, who in a witty way invite their own reader to be prudent and patient. For example, such maxims of Graciana are known as:
- "even hares kick a dead lion";
- "long roads of time lead to the auspicious occasion";
- "soon to be accomplished - soon to be destroyed";
- "you shouldn't be constantly wisecracking: eternal fun is a hindrance to business";
- "failing to do a job is less of a problem than not starting a business at all, because stagnant water spoils, not running water."
There are a lot of such short moralizing arguments in the book. B altasar Gracian, whose aphorisms were so lively and witty, quickly became famous and popular. Against the backdrop of dull theological literature, his sayings were the very breath of living water that the Spanish enlightenment so lacked. The pocket oracle was very popular both in Spain and abroad - even during the life of B altasar Gracian, a small literary work was translated into many European languages.
Top of Talent
Both Gracian B altasar himself and his critics deservedly considered the novel "Carper" to be the main work of this writer. In it, Gracian shows his own vision of how the world should be. Literature of this kind was very common in the era of late antiquity, and now, after a thousand years, B althazar decides to return to this form of narration. The main characters personified nature andculture as symbols of cautious reflection and spontaneous impulse. At the end of the story, it is concluded that nature is imperfect, and in the end, culture saves the world and leads to immortality. Like his other works, this novel will be signed by the name of another person.
B altasar's Legacy
Gracien devoted the last ten years of his life to writing the "Criticon" - a voluminous work that tells about the place of man in modern life. Secular creativity brought the author great fame and honor, but also greatly alarmed the Jesuit order, whose leadership was dissatisfied with the literary work of the priest.
At the end of his life, the priest will write one single thing, signed by his own name - B altasar Gracian. Books published earlier were already circulating around the country, but formally their authors were other people. In the treatise "Reflections on Communion", the author, against the background of purely religious reflections, renounces his own literary works. This had to be done, as the patience of the leadership of the Jesuit order was coming to an end. Nevertheless, the last part of the Critikon, undoubtedly written by B althazar, is soon published, and the author is brought to trial.
He is deprived of the right to preach and write, sent to a provincial town, where he lives under the strict supervision of Jesuit brothers. Gracien could not endure such a life - he dies on December 6, 1658, having lived less than a year after the Jesuit trial.
