Juan Ruiz

Florence Curtis (University of Oxford)

Ed. by Duncan Wheeler, University of Leeds
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.2.01: Spanish Literature and Culture from the Beginning to the Golden Age.
Vol. editors: Andrew M. Beresford (University of Durham), Stuart Green (University of Leeds), Juan Pablo Rodriguez (Yale University), Duncan Wheeler (University of Leeds)

Dates

Born c. 1280
Died c. 1350
Activity c. 1300-c. 1350

Places

Born in Spain
Active in Spain

Activities

Primary

Poet
Priest

Resources

Ruiz's Works

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Although “Juan Ruiz” is generally understood to be the author of the

Libro de buen amor

, readers should note that his identity remains obscure. Despite significant critical effort to prove the existence of a Juan Ruiz around the time the text was (likely) written, hypotheses put forward have proved unsatisfactory. Furthermore, there is some significant slippage between Juan Ruiz, the possible historic figure and author of the text, and the fictional Archpriest of the work. The “Joan Royz, | Açipreste de Fita” of verse 19, who sings praise to the Virgin, becomes an increasingly problematic protagonist and guide as the work progresses. The critic Louise O. Vasvári has suggested that the name “Juan Ruiz” may be a pun as part of the extensive word-play of the text and this would…

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132 words

Citation: Curtis, Florence. "Juan Ruiz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 August 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5537, accessed 23 November 2024.]