by Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo

Cited by many as the greatest intellectual Spain has ever produced, Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) made his mark in philosophy, poetry, fiction, drama, travel writing, autobiography, and journalism. Unamuno was born to a religious Roman Catholic household on September 29, 1864, in Bilbao, capital of the Basque region of Spain. He received his early education in Bilbao and his doctorate in philosophy and letters from the University of Madrid in 1884. Six years later he became chair of Greek language and literature at Spain’s oldest university, the University of Salamanca. After being appointed rector of the university in 1901, he was abruptly dismissed in 1914 for reasons still unclear, and in 1924 he was exiled for opposing the military government of Primo de Rivera. He returned to Salamanca in 1930 to experience the repeat of his former fate. Unamuno was re-elected rector, then removed once again, in 1936, this...