Baltasar Gracián

Baltasar Gracián (1601–1658) was a Spanish prose writer, philosopher, and an active Jesuit. Gracián acquired fame from preaching soon after taking his Jesuit vows. In 1651, he published the fist part of his allegorical novel El Critcón and the second in 1657, and as a result was exiled to Graus. Gracián then penned The Art of Worldly Wisdom, a collection of aphorisms that has maintained popularity since its initial publication. He is regarded as the most prominent and respected writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style, Conceptismo.