Background
He was born in Seville on 17 February in 1836. In 1854 he went to Madrid, where he lived precariously as a free-lance journalist and translator until his death from tuberculosis on Dec. 22, 1870.
He was born in Seville on 17 February in 1836. In 1854 he went to Madrid, where he lived precariously as a free-lance journalist and translator until his death from tuberculosis on Dec. 22, 1870.
Essentially a lyric poet, Bécquer'sBecquer's lyricism found expression not only in such posthumously published verse as Rimas (1871) (The Rimas of Gustavo A. BécquerBecquer, 1908), but also in his prose works, particularly in the Leyendas españolasespanolas (1871) (Romantic Legends of Spain, 1909). The influence of the German poet Heinrich Heine is no doubt responsible for the elusive and hazy imagery which gives a kind of nebulous charm to Bécquer'sBecquer's poetic production. It is both simple and profound; the poet seems to plunge into the essence of nature with a somewhat pantheistic attitude, and to him vision, sound, smell, all point to evidences of a divine meaning. The prose Leyendas are also notable. Some refer to the Oriental world; some are national legends seen from an original viewpoint; others are completely lyrical, with elusive, mysterious settings. In all, the main emphasis in his writings is not on action, but on an atmosphere in which BécquerBecquer has opportunity to express his delicate lyricism.