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Christian : Catholic

16th Century

Spain
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Luis de Leon

Timeline (1527 - 1591)

Poems by Luis de Leon
Books - Links

Luis de Leon, Luis de Leon poetry, Christian, Christian poetry, Catholic poetry, poetry, poetry

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Luis de Leon was born to a Jewish family in Cuenca in the La Mancha region of Spain.

When he was 14, he became a student at the University of Salamanca, becoming a disciple of the humanist scholar Melchor Cano. In 1544 he entered the Augustinian monastic order of the Catholic Church, where he became a respected scholar of Hebrew and theology.

This was during the time of the Counter Reformation within the Catholic Church, and Inquisition had taken on a particularly harsh form in Spain. Salamanca was at the center of many Church conflicts, and Fray Luis de Leon was often embroiled in those disputes. He was imprisoned by the Inquisition in 1572 and only released in 1576.

His best known prose works are The Names of Christ and The Perfect Housewife. Only 29 of his poems are known to exist.

Poems by Luis de Leon

	Ode to Francisco Salinas
	The Life Removed

Recommended Books

	Luis de Leon: The Names of Christ: (Classics of Western Spirituality), by Luis de Leon / Translated by William Kluback Amazon.com
	Poesias: (Spanish Language), by Luis de Leon Amazon.com
	Poetry and Truth in the Spanish Works of Fray Luis de Leon, by David J. Hildner Amazon.com
	Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty, Edited by Alan Jacobs Amazon.com
	Ten Centuries of Spanish Poetry: An Anthology in English Verse with Original Texts, from the Xith Century to the Generation of 1898, Edited by Eleanor L. Turnbull Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Shearsman Gallery: Notes on Luis de Leon http://www.shearsman.com/pages/gallery/smith/6luisdeleon_notes.html A good, but brief biography of Fray Luis de Leon and introduction to his philosophy and poetry. Some poems.
	Catholic Encyclopedia: Luis de Leon http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09177b.htm A detailed biography of Luis de Leon.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Luis de Leon

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