Rubén Darío: A lasting influence on Spanish literature

Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío (1867-1916) is widely regarded as the person who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as modernismo (modernism) that flourished at the end of the 19th century. Darío had a great and lasting influence on 20th-century Spanish-language literature, which is why numerous streets, squares and parks have been named in his honour in cities like Madrid, Seville and Cadiz. He was also honoured in Malaga city in 1963, when a bronze bust was installed in Parque de Málaga .

Born in Metapa (now Ciudad Darío), Nicaragua, besides being a poet, novelist, essayist, chronicler and cultural critic, Darío was a diplomat.

In June 1892, Nicaraguan President Roberto Sacasa appointed him to serve on the commission representing Nicaragua in Madrid during the celebrations of the fourth centenary of the discovery of the New World.

Known as the 'prince of Castilian letters', the poet travelled to Europe again in 1899 when he learned that the La Nación newspaper needed a correspondent in Spain to inform about the situation in the country after the devastating effects of the Spanish-American War. These chronicles expressed his profound sympathy towards Spain, and, despite the state of despair he witnessed, his confidence in the country's revival.

Darío went back to Madrid in 1905 to represent his country in border negotiations with Honduras, a process in which King Alfonso XIII of Spain had agreed to serve as mediator.

Between late 1907 and early 1909, he served as Nicaragua's ambassador to Spain, a posting he received despite the initial reservations of the Nicaraguan government due to his fondness for alcohol. It was during this period that he mixed in circles of young poets and writers who defended modernism, among them, many who would become important figures in Spanish literature like Juan Ramón Jiménez and Juan Valera.