Hartzenbusch, Juan Eugenio

Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch was born in Madrid in 1806 to a German cabinetmaker father and a Spanish mother. A student of the Jesuits, he learned other European languages and became a lover of Spanish classical literary works. He worked to promote the publication of the dramatic works of Spain’s Golden Age. He became the director of Spain’s National Library and was inducted into the Royal Spanish Academy in 1847. He was admired by his peers and considered a gifted and sensitive poet. He died in Madrid in 1880.