Juan Ruiz

Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (c. 1283 - c. 1350), was a medieval Castilian poet, best known as the author of the Libro de Buen Amor (Book of Good Love), one of the most important and enigmatic works of Spanish literature.

Life:

Very little is definitively known about Juan Ruiz's life. He identifies himself as the Archpriest of Hita in the Libro de Buen Amor, but even this information is subject to scholarly debate regarding its precise interpretation. Hita is a town in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. The dates of his birth and death are based on inferences drawn from the Libro de Buen Amor and historical context. Some interpretations of the text suggest he was imprisoned at some point, possibly by order of the Archbishop of Toledo. Outside of the information garnered from his own writing, no verifiable historical records concerning Juan Ruiz exist.

Works:

• Libro de Buen Amor (Book of Good Love): This is Juan Ruiz's only known work and the cornerstone of his literary reputation. The Libro de Buen Amor is a long, episodic narrative poem in cuaderna vía (four-line stanzas with a single rhyme) interspersed with a variety of other verse forms, including coplas de arte menor (shorter verses). It's a complex and multifaceted work that blends autobiographical narrative, religious allegory, satirical commentary, love stories (both successful and disastrous), fables, and didactic passages. The poem explores the nature of human love, both divine and carnal, and its relationship to free will, sin, and redemption. It incorporates influences from classical literature, medieval romances, and popular folk traditions. The title itself is ambiguous, as "Buen Amor" can be interpreted in several ways, ranging from "good love" in the sense of divine love to "good love" in the sense of skillful or artful seduction. This ambiguity is central to the poem's enduring complexity and critical debate surrounding its meaning.