Melendez Valdes, Juan (Melndez Valds Juan)

(1754-1817)
Born March 11, 1754 in Rivera del Fresno (Extremadura). He studied in Madrid and Salamanca, Salamanca University, was a teacher and a judge in Zaragoza, Valladolid and Madrid. When close to his policies have fallen out of favor, he was exiled to Medina, and Zamora (1800). After taking an ambiguous position in the invasion of Napoleon in Spain, he finally went with the French.
Anacreontic poetry Melц?ndez Valdц?s, a collection of poetry (Poesas) distinguish lyricism, lightness and minor tonality, love and nature is its central theme. This is a typical preromantichesky alloy of sentimentality, rhetoric and learning. In his romances (Romances) Melц?ndez Valdц?s fully develops themes of nature. Poetic vision, which was to evolve into the next century, foreshadowed his Sonnets (Sonetos). Another step to Romanticism marked verses from religious and philosophical odes (Odas filosficas y sagradas), which became the main subject of nature, religious experience and philosophical reflection.

He died in exile in Montpellier (France), May 24, 1817. In 1866 his remains were transported to the Pantheon in Madrid.