SOURCE: Hanak, Miroslav John. “Life and Works of don Luis Góngora y Argote.” In The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea, translated by Miroslav John Hanak, pp. xi-xxvi. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1998.

In the following essay, Hanak discusses the life, work, and influence of Góngora.

Don Luis was born on July 11, 1561 into an illustrious family in Andalusian Córdoba. His father was one of the judges of the Inquisition in charge of adjudicating confiscated property. He received his early education at a Jesuit College (a grammar and prep school) in his hometown. His maternal uncle don Francisco de Góngora, prebendary of the Cathedral of Córdoba, conveyed to the young man ecclesiastic benefices accruing to him in several different locations outside Córdoba. Don Francisco advanced his protégé sums of money to cover study expenses at the University of Salamanca in Old Castile...