Rubén Darío (1867-1916), was the pen name of Félix Rubén
García-Sarmiento, one of the most important poets in the Spanish
language. Darío was the leader of the Modernist movement in Spanish
poetry. In Azul (1888), he rejected sentimentality and moralizing in
literature, proclaiming the doctrine of "art for art's sake." The
elegant, sensual grace of Profane Prose (1896), Songs of Life and Hope
(1905), and Wandering Song (1907) set a new tone for literary
ex-pression, as did his experiments in verse forms and his aristocratic
language. Darío's impact was so great that many critics today can tell
whether a poem in Spanish was written before or after him.
Darío was born in Metapa (now Ciudad Darío), Nicaragua.
He rose from poverty to become a diplomat and foreign correspondent,
but his wild living hastened his death. Darío served as Nicaraguan
consul in Paris, and as minister to Brazil and Spain.
