Gustavo A. Bécquer

Gustavo A. Bécquer: poet and narrator.  He belonged to the Romantic movement, although he wrote in a period dominated by Realism.  Knowledge of his work is essential to an understanding of Spanish literature.  He adapted plays, mainly from French. During a stay in Seville, he published his first legend, The Leader with Red Hands.  He is best known for his poetry collection Rimas (1871) and short story collection Leyendas (1857–1864).  He died in Madrid in 1870 and is considered one of the most important Spanish lyric poets of the nineteenth century.