Ginés Pérez de Hita (1544? – 1619?) was a Spanish novelist and poet, born at

Mula Mula may refer to: Places * Mula, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Mula, Maldives, an island in the Maldives * Mula, Spain, a town in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain * Muľa, a village and municipality in southern Slovaki ...

( Murcia) about the middle of the 16th century. It is likely that he joined the campaign against the "Moriscos" in the Alpujarra in 1560.

''Guerras civiles de Granada''

He owes his wide celebrity to the ''Historia de los bandos de los Zegríes y Abencerrajes'' (1595–1619), better known as the ''Guerras civiles de

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

'', which purports to be a chronicle based on an Arabic original ascribed to a certain Aben-Hamin. Abed-Hamin is a fictitious character, and the "Wars of Granada" is, in reality, a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, perhaps the earliest example of its kind, and certainly the first historical novel that attained popularity. In the first part, the events which led to the downfall of

are related with uncommon brilliancy, and Pérez de Hita's sympathetic transcription of life at the Emir's court has clearly suggested the conventional presentation of the picturesque, chivalrous Moor in the pages of Mlle de Scudéry, Mme de Lafayette, Châteaubriand and Washington Irving. The second part is concerned with the author's personal experiences and the treatment is effective; yet, though

Calderón Calderón () is a Spanish and Sefardi occupational surname. It is derived from the Vulgar Latin "''caldaria''" ("cauldron") and refers to the occupation of tinker. Calderón, or Calderon, may refer to: * Alberto Calderón, Argentine mathematician ...

's play, ''Amar después de la muerte'', is derived from it, this less picturesque second part has never enjoyed the vogue or influence of the first. The exact date of Pérez de Hita's death is unknown. His blank verse rendering of the ''Crónica Troyana'', written in 1596, exists in manuscript.

References

Modern editions

* ''Historia de los bandos de zegríes y abencerrajes'' (primera parte de las "Guerras Civiles de Granada".) * ''La guerra de los moriscos'' (segunda parte de las "Guerras Civiles de Granada".) * ''Guerras civiles de Granada'' Simancas Ediciones, 2005

Notes

Sources

* * 1540s births 1610s deaths Murcian writers People from Río Mula 16th-century Spanish poets 17th-century Spanish novelists Spanish male novelists Spanish male poets 16th-century Spanish novelists 16th-century male writers 17th-century male writers {{spain-writer-stub