Don Pedro Calderón

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Don W. CruickshankCambridge University Press, 10/29/2009EAN 9780521765152, ISBN10: 0521765153Hardcover, 494 pages, 22.8 x 15.2 x 2.9 cmLanguage: EnglishDon Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600–81) is Spain's most important early modern dramatist. His varied career as a playwright, courtier, soldier and priest placed him at the heart of Spanish culture, and he reflected on contemporary events in his plays, most famously La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream). In this scholarly biography of Calderón in English, Don Cruickshank uses his command of the archival sources and his unparalleled understanding of Calderón's work to chart his life and his political, literary and religious contexts. In addition, the book includes much fresh research into Calderón's writings and their attributions. This elegant, erudite work will bring Calderón to a new audience both within and beyond Spanish studies. With illustrations, extensive notes and a detailed index, this is the most comprehensive English-language book on Calderón, and it will long remain the key work of reference on this important author.PrefaceIllustrationsAbbreviationsNote on measurements, currency, translations and dates1. The birthplaceMadrid in 16002. The family background3. Childhood and early adolescence4. A turning-point5. A talent discovered by accident6. Letters, not arms7. Blasphemy, sacrilege and lèse-majesté8. Lessons for controlling personalities9. Only poetry, not precious stones10. Taking over from Lope11. Knight of Santiago12. Discordant voices13. The storm gathers14. War and disillusionment15. A time to mourn16. Beginning to recoverEpiloguethe glories of the worldAppendixCalderón's dramatic worksNotesBibliographyIndex.'This book will be a must-read for students and scholars of early modern Spanish theatre and literature, and for early modern scholars in general. It is a superb work of scholarship, one that I cannot praise too highly.' Edward H. Friedman, Vanderbilt University Show more