Rubén Darío Biography

Ruben Dario is a well-known poet and journalist who became the leader of the Spanish American literary movement, known as Modernismo. Born in Nicaragua, he traveled and wrote across Central and Latin America, as well as, Europe. He started writing at the young age of 12 and was referred to in his younger years as the ‘Child Poet’. Later in his life, he took appointments as a diplomat in Buenos Aires, and traveled with a delegation to Spain, representing his home country of Nicaragua. Influenced by French Parnassian poetry, he experimented with rhythm, meter, and imagery and was known for his symbolic portrayals of an ideal world that would restore unity and harmony. Due to his innovation in his poetry and short stories, he modernized poetry in Spanish and is credited with introducing a new era in Spanish American literature. Towards his life's end, he became concerned with North American imperialism after Spain was defeated in the Spanish-American War. He spent his later years writing about these topics and traveling to speak about his views across Europe, Central, and North America. Despite his demise, his message lives on with the translation of several of his works into English. To know more about his life and works read on.