The Life of Tirso de Molina (Fray Gabriel Jusepe Téllez) (1579-1648)

Fray Gabriel Téllez, the playwright known to the world as Tirso de Molina, was born in Madrid in 1579 and died in Almazán, Soria, in 1648. Tirso’s biography was obscure until Luis Vázquez Fernández, O.M., unearthed many valuable details that had lain buried for centuries, which document Tirso’s whereabouts from cradle to grave and sketch the contours of his long, productive life. Although Vázquez provided the outlines of Tirso’s many and sundry involvements, achievements and experiences, the biography of one of the greatest dramatists ever to write in Spanish deserves to be revealed and reconstructed much more completely. Henry W. Sullivan and Jane W. Albrecht now fill this lacuna in the cultural history of Spain and European drama, exploring Tirso’s complex identity as a renowned author, tireless Mercedarian, bold traveler, beloved son and brother, steadfast friend and fearless foe. They survey his life’s foundations in the home of his parents, Portuguese refuges living and serving in a noble house in Madrid, and wider kinship network; his cultural edification among the wealthy Madrid elite, maturation and formal education; and his religious vocation devoted to the Order of Mercy and parallel, dazzling professional career dedicated to delighting and teaching the audiences of corrales and private theatrical spaces. In addition, Sullivan and Albrecht confront a number of mysteries that make Tirso such a singular author and eventually converge on answers to several points at issue. Where did his faculty for language come from? What led to his decision to profess in the Order of Mercy? Why did Fray Gabriel Téllez, the only Golden-Age figure who wrote under a pseudonym, adopt the unique nom de plume Tirso de Molina? And, how could he write so stridently about all manner of sexual situations and impulses?