Antonio Machado-i-Ruis Spanish poet Date of Birth: 26.07.1875 Country: Spain

Biography of Antonio Machado y Ruiz

Antonio Machado y Ruiz was a Spanish poet born into a family of folklorists. His grandfather was a university rector. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Madrid. He received his education at the Free Institute of Education, where he developed a taste for philosophy and moral rigor. In Madrid, Machado became close to the writers of the "Generation of 1898." In 1899, he went to Paris, where he served as the vice-consul of Guatemala for a period of time. It was during this time that he met Rubén Darío and other modernist poets.

In 1903, Machado published his first book of poetry, "Solitudes" (Soledades), which was influenced by Darío and Paul Verlaine. From 1907 to 1910, Machado taught French in the city of Soria. The lyrical poetry he wrote during these years, collected in the book "Fields of Castile" (Campos de Castilla, 1912), is characterized by tragic tones. After his time in Soria, Machado lived and taught in the provinces for a long time. It was during this period that he wrote several plays in collaboration with his brother, Manuel Machado y Ruiz.

In 1932, Machado was appointed a professor in Madrid and was soon elected to the Spanish Academy. During the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, Machado remained loyal to the republic and contributed to republican publications. When the republic fell, he crossed the French border.