Leandro Fernández de Moratín

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Last Updated September 6, 2023.

Born in Madrid on the 10th of March, 1760, Leandro Fernández de Moratín is a Spanish poet and dramatist most famous for his works La comedia nueva (The New Comedy, 1792) and El sí de las niñas (The Maiden's Consent, 1806). His full-length plays are comedies charged with serious subject matter reflecting the social backdrop of his time. He is historically known to be the most influential Neoclassical literary figure of the Spanish Enlightenment.

On a personal level, he is known as the "younger Moratín". He is the son of Nicolás Fernández de Moratín (1737–1780), a lawyer and playwright who taught poetry at the Imperial College. He was apprenticed by his father to a jeweler, though he spent most of his time cultivating his interest in writing. While he worked at the workshop, he was awarded twice by the Academy: first for his epic ballad, La toma de Granada (1779) and second for La lección poética (1782), a satire he had written as a commentary on the popular poets of his time. His achievements caught the attention of prominent statesmen and got him appointed secretary to the Count of Cabarrús, who was slated to travel to France in 1787 on special obligation.

This opened doors for the young Moratín, who got to spend time in Paris studying French drama. He owed his literary growth to the friendships he had formed with fellow writers there. When he returned to Spain two years after, he brought with him the French classical model and continued what his father had started: the reformation of Spanish drama.

With the help of protector and patron Manuel Godoy, Moratín was able to stage his very first play in 1790, El viejo y la niña. This was followed by La comedia nueva in 1792. With a donation from the Count of Floridablanca and under Godoy’s protection, he was given the opportunity to travel through France, England, Germany, and Italy. This ultimately allowed him to flourish and secure his rank as an artist.

Upon his return, he was appointed secretary of Language Interpretation. Moratín produced two more plays: El barón in 1803 and La mojigata in 1804 (the latter being greatly influenced by Moliere's Tartuffe, a playwright whose works Moratín translated). With the advent of the Inquisition, an attempt to suppress his work was seen, though such attempts were unsuccessful. He came out with El sí de las niñas in 1806, which was a strong commentary on the excesses of parental authority, which often gave way to marriages wrought in convenience. It was a work that was widely translated, performed, and seen.

When Godoy fell in 1808, Moratín pledged his support to the French. He accepted King Joseph Bonaparte's appointment of him as senior librarian at the Royal Library. Seen as a sign of weak patriotism, the loyal Spaniards lost confidence in him. Moratín fled Spain and spent his remaining days in exile in France, where he died in 1828. It is during this exile that he wrote a history of Spanish drama called Origines del teatro español.

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