Alonso de Castillo Solórzano
Encyclopedia
Alonso de Castillo was Spanish
novelist and playwright.
He is stated to have been baptized
October 1, 1584). Nothing is known of his youth, and he is next heard of at Madrid
in 1619 as a man of literary tastes. While in the service of the Marquis de Villar, he issued his first work, Donaires del Parnaso (1624-1625), two volumes of humorous poems; his Tardes entretenidas (1625) and Jornadas alegres (1626) proved that he was a novelist by vocation.
Shortly afterwards he joined the household of the Marquis de los Vélez, Viceroy
of Valencia
, and published in quick succession three clever picaresque novel
s: La Niña de los embustes, Teresa de Manzanares (1634), Las Aventuras del Bachiller Trapaza (1637), and a continuation entitled La garduña de Sevilla y anzuelo de las bolsas (1642). To these shrewd cynical stories he owes his reputation.
He followed the Marquis de los Vélez in his disastrous campaign in Catalonia
- the Reapers' War - and accompanied him to Rome
, where the defeated general was sent as ambassador. Castillo Solrzano's death occurred before 1648, but the exact date is uncertain. His prolonged absence from Madrid prevented him from writing as copiously for the stage as he would otherwise have done; but he was popular as a playwright both at home and abroad. His Marqués del Cigarral and El Mayorazgo figurón are the sources respectively of Scarron's Don Jophet d'Arménie and L'Héritier ridicule. Among his numerous remaining works may be mentioned Las harpías en Madrid (1633), Fiestas del Jardín (1634), Los Alivios de Casandra (1640) and the posthumous Quinta de Laurel (1649); the witty observation of these books forms a singular contrast to the prim devotion of his Sagrario de Valencia (1635). His versatility and graceful style deserve the highest praise.
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...
novelist and playwright.
He is stated to have been baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
October 1, 1584). Nothing is known of his youth, and he is next heard of at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in 1619 as a man of literary tastes. While in the service of the Marquis de Villar, he issued his first work, Donaires del Parnaso (1624-1625), two volumes of humorous poems; his Tardes entretenidas (1625) and Jornadas alegres (1626) proved that he was a novelist by vocation.
Shortly afterwards he joined the household of the Marquis de los Vélez, Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Valencia
Kingdom of Valencia
The Kingdom of Valencia , located in the eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. When the Crown of Aragon merged by dynastic union with the Crown of Castile to form the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Valencia became a component realm of the...
, and published in quick succession three clever picaresque novel
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
s: La Niña de los embustes, Teresa de Manzanares (1634), Las Aventuras del Bachiller Trapaza (1637), and a continuation entitled La garduña de Sevilla y anzuelo de las bolsas (1642). To these shrewd cynical stories he owes his reputation.
He followed the Marquis de los Vélez in his disastrous campaign in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
- the Reapers' War - and accompanied him to 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...
, where the defeated general was sent as ambassador. Castillo Solrzano's death occurred before 1648, but the exact date is uncertain. His prolonged absence from Madrid prevented him from writing as copiously for the stage as he would otherwise have done; but he was popular as a playwright both at home and abroad. His Marqués del Cigarral and El Mayorazgo figurón are the sources respectively of Scarron's Don Jophet d'Arménie and L'Héritier ridicule. Among his numerous remaining works may be mentioned Las harpías en Madrid (1633), Fiestas del Jardín (1634), Los Alivios de Casandra (1640) and the posthumous Quinta de Laurel (1649); the witty observation of these books forms a singular contrast to the prim devotion of his Sagrario de Valencia (1635). His versatility and graceful style deserve the highest praise.
External links
- Alonso de Castillo Solorzano at the Classic Encyclopedia, based on the 1911 Edition of the Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionThe 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...