Juan de Mal Lara (

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, 1524 – Sevilla, 1571) was a Spanish

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and paremiologue at the

University of Seville The University of Seville (''Universidad de Sevilla'') is a university in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Founded under the name of ''Colegio Santa María de Jesús'' in 1505, in 2022 it has a student body of 57,214,U-Ranking Universidades español ...

during the period of the

Spanish Renaissance The Spanish Renaissance was a movement in Spain, emerging from the Italian Renaissance in Italy during the 14th century, that spread to Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. This new focus in art, literature, Quotation, quotes and scienc ...

in the reign of

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

Biography

Mal Lara studied

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

grammar at the College of San Miguel in

. His teacher was Pedro Fernandez de Castilleja and later Mal Lara taught humanities to Mateo Alemán. It was a decade later, after studying at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca () is a public university, public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León, King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the ...

, where he was student of Hernán Núñez one of classmates was Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas, known as the "Brocense"; later he went to

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, where he completed his studies with Francisco Escobar before returning again to Salamanca. In 1548 he returned to Seville to study arts. By 1550 he taught at

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

in a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in Sevilla. In 1565, the Count of Gelves in Seville, established his "Merlin's Garden" in the fields near Tablada, and this became a regular gathering of an academic circle which also included

Baltasar del Alcázar Baltasar del Alcázar (1530 in Seville, Spain–16 February 1606 in Ronda) was a Spanish poet. He was the sixth child of Luis del Alcázar. His poetry was about life and love, most of it spiced with a keen sense of humor. Works A short example o ...

Francisco Pacheco Francisco Pérez del Río (bap. 3 November 1564 – 27 November 1644), known by his pseudonym Francisco Pacheco, was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Alonso Cano and Diego Velázquez, as well as the latter's father-in-law. His ...

, Juan de la Cueva, Christopher Mosquera de Figueroa, Cristóbal de Mesa, Francisco de Medina and

Fernando de Herrera Fernando de Herrera (~1534–1597), called "El Divino", was a 16th-century Spanish poet and man of letters. He was born in Seville. Much of what is known about him comes from ''Libro de descripción de verdaderos retratos de illustres y memorabl ...

, a group later known as the Sevillian Poetry School. Herrera would later include Mal Lara in his circle of "doctos amigos" learned friends". Cebrián, Jos�
"Sobre Herrera y Mal Lara con un 'Hércules' de por medio". ''AISO I-VII: Actas de los Congresos de la Asociación Internacional Siglo de Oro (1987-2005)'', p. 237.
'' Centro Virtual Cervantes''. Retrieved 7 January 2025. poets and humanists, which included Pacheco, Medina, who had studied Theology at the same time as Pacheco,. Pacheco, Francisco; Bartolomé Pozuelo Calero (2004)
''El Licenciado Francisco Pacheco: El túmulo de la reina doña Ana de Austria'', pp. XXX, XXXV, L. Editorial CSIC - CSIC Press.
''Google Books''. Retrieved 7 January 2025. Diego Girón and Alcázar. Mal Lara was investigated by the Spanish Inquisition in 1561, but was cleared of all charges in 1566, the year he moved to Madrid to join the royal court of king Philip II of Spain. Philip of Spain also claimed to be king of England and Ireland following his marriage to

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

was known as 'the prudent' since despite several financial crisis was an intelligent ruler and dedicated philosophical scholar who particularly studied the work of the Roman orator

Marcus Tullius Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

which is why in modern Spanish a serious but informal discussion is called ''"una tertulia"'' Within this intensive royal court Mal Laura composed verses to accompany or embellish certain paintings by

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

and was commissioned to create allegorical motif for the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of Don Juan de Austria, which included writing an elaborate description of ''"the royal galley of Serene Don Juan de Austria, Captain of all the Seas"''. He married Maria de Ojeda with whom he had two daughters, Gila and Silvestra. He also worked with scholars and historians as important as Gonzalo Argote de Molina. He is credited, although this is widely disputed, with the invention of the structure of the ten-line stanza known as a

Décima A décima is a ten-line stanza of poetry. The most popular form is called décima espinela after Vicente Espinel (1550–1624), a Spanish writer, poet, and musician from the Spanish Golden Age who used it extensively throughout his compositions. T ...

popularized Vicente Espinel, in whose honor the décima is also known as a "Spinel". An unpublished biography of Mal Lara is preserved in the Municipal Archives of Seville.

Works

In his lifetime he was mostly known for two works: ''Philosophia vulgar'' (Seville, 1568), the first part of which contains ''one thousand and one

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

s'': pithy sayings or

proverb A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...

s to be learned by heart, in which preliminary discourse extols the wisdom embedded in ancient sayings, although this work sometimes follows the

Adagia ''Adagia'' (singular ''adagium'') is the title of an annotated collection of Greek language, Greek and Latin proverbs, compiled during the Renaissance by Dutch Humanism, humanist Erasmus, Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus. Erasmus' repository of p ...

Erasmus of Rotterdam Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and theologian, educationalist, satirist, and p ...

and other similar classical writers. The other major work was a tribute that Mal Lara wrote with Alonso Escribano for ''Rey Phelipe de Seuilla'' (Philip II Spain and thus also of Seville), to deliver in 1570 extolling the virtues of ''the very noble and loyal city of Seuilla'' in gratitude for the warm welcome received by Philip. Mal Lara also described the lavish decoration of the walls of Seville with figures and allegorical verses representing the various divisions within the Seville jurisdiction. The book was published after the victory of the monarch against the Moorish rebellion of Alpujarras. ''Psyche'', a mythological poem in Hendecasyllable style was not well received at the time. It was inspired ''Psyche and Cupid'' included in ''The Golden Ass'' a novel of

Apuleius Apuleius ( ), also called Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (c. 124 – after 170), was a Numidians, Numidian Latin-language prose writer, Platonist philosopher and rhetorician. He was born in the Roman Empire, Roman Numidia (Roman province), province ...

. His fifth book was published by Mario Gasparini at the Trilingual University College of Salamanca in 1947. He also composed eclogues ''Narciso and Laurea'', ''Annotations to the syntax of Erasmus'', a philosophical dissertation ''Pilgrimage of life'', as well as ''Principles of Grammar'', guidance ''Notes on Emblems of Andrea Alciato'', the ''

Scholia Scholia (: scholium or scholion, from , "comment", "interpretation") are grammatical, critical, or explanatory comments – original or copied from prior commentaries – which are inserted in the margin of the manuscript of ancient a ...

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

on the introductions of Aphthonius of Antioch'', ''Chronicle of the Holy Apostles'', a poem in octaves ''The Death of Orpheus'' and a Latin poem ''The Martyrdom of Saints Justa and Rufina, patron of Seville'' . Some of his dramatic works are noteworthy, including the

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

''Absalom'' and the

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

''Locusta'', first performed at the University of Salamanca in 1548 both in

and Castilian languages; he continued this dramatic activity in Seville, where he composed the comedy ''In praise of Our Lady of Consolation'' performed by his students in Utrera in 1561. A probable work entitled ''Tragedy of San Hermenegildo'' is lost. Juan de la Cueva, in his ''Poetic Exemplar'' places Mal Lara him among the classical playwrights in the Aristotelian tradition, although with some reservations. ''The Spirited Hercules'' is an erudite poetic work formerly believed lost but subsequently rediscovered via a copy within the Ajuda National Palace in Portugal. It was highly praised by his contemporaries and contains details about the Seville group and

Chansonnier A chansonnier (, , Galician and , or ''canzoniéro'', ) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally " song-books"; however, some manuscripts are call ...

lyrics that deserve careful study. It is written in stanzas and divided into twelve books, each with four songs. It is dedicated to Prince Carlos with the intention to glorify twelve victories of his grandfather, alluded to allegorically within the main theme of the poem, by singing the praises of the

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

feats of the twelve

labors of Hercules Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labo ...

. Thus, the

Nemean lion The Nemean lion (; ; ) was a mythical lion in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. Famously one of the mythical beasts killed by Heracles (Hercules) in his 12 labours. Because its golden fur was impervious to attack, it could not be killed with ...

symbolizes the

Revolt of the Comuneros The Revolt of the Comuneros (, "War of the Communities of Castile") was an uprising by citizens of Crown of Castile, Castile against the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I and his administration between 1520 and 1521. At its hei ...

, the Erymanthian Boar is

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

, etc. The poem ends with the vision of king Philip II as

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

, essentially a new

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

to relieve

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

. Mal Lara started this work in 1549, but he died suddenly and so was unable to deliver the manuscript to the printer. The surviving poems of Mal Lara may be found in Volume XLII of the ''Biblioteca de Autores Españoles''; his complete works were published in three volumes by Manuel Bernal Rodríguez in 1996, within the Castro Library.

References

Bibliography

*F. Sánchez y Escribano, ''Juan de Mal Lara: su vida y sus obras'', New York: Hispanic Institute in the United States, 1941. *Juan de Mal Lara,''Obras completas''; edited by and prologue of Manuel Bernal Rodríguez. Madrid: Turner, 1996, (Biblioteca Castro), notionally in three volumes of which only two are available. *Jude, Véronique. 2013. Explication et argumentation dans la ''Philosophia vulgar'' de Juan de Mal Lara. ''Les proverbes dans l'Europe des XVIe et XVIIe siècles: Réalités et Représentations'', ed. by Mary-Nelly Fouligny and Marie Roig Miranda, pp. 223–238. Nancy: Universite de Lorraine.
Juan de Mal Lara
at the

Charles III University of Madrid University Charles III of Madrid () (UC3M) is a public university in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Established in 1989, UC3M is an institution with a distinctly international profile. It offers a broad range of master's and bachelor's degree p ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mal Lara, Juan de 16th-century Spanish philosophers University of Salamanca alumni Proverb scholars 1524 births 1571 deaths