Fernando de Rojas: Life, Authorship, and La Celestina's Literary Legacy

Fernando de Rojas: Author of La Celestina

Fernando de Rojas (La Puebla de Montalbán, Toledo, 1470 – Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, 1541) was a Spanish dramatist, renowned as the author of the tragicomedy, La Celestina. This work is considered one of the top achievements in Spanish literary history and marks a crucial, transitional point between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Birth, Converso Heritage, and the Inquisition

Rojas was born into a family of conversos (Jewish converts) who faced repeated scrutiny and trials by the Inquisition for secretly practicing Judaism. Rojas actively assisted his family members, known as Marranos, affected by these persecutions. Documents related to his own accusations by the Inquisition strongly support his authorship of La Celestina, resolving what was once considered the most important unsolved doubt regarding the work's creation.

Education and Legal Career

He studied law at the University of Salamanca, a fact he confirms in the introductory letter to his friend preceding the text of his work. Documentation suggests he obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree around 1496–1497.

Confirming Authorship and Early Life

Rojas revealed his name and place of birth through a famous acrostic poem included at the beginning of the second edition (1500). While the authorship of La Celestina is now generally accepted, it is believed Rojas wrote the work when he was about twenty-five, only a few years older than his character, Calisto, who is twenty-three. No other literary works by Rojas are known, nor is he mentioned by his contemporaries regarding his writing.

He is known to have settled in Talavera de la Reina, where he married and where some scholars speculate he may have served as mayor ^[1].

The Converso Influence on La Celestina

His status as a converso significantly influences the themes of his work. Many critics argue that the profound pessimism and patent hopelessness evident in La Celestina's dramatic finale reflect the perspective of someone lacking the strong, established faith of the Old Christians, thereby justifying the work's dark tone.

Death, Will, and the Missing Manuscript

Rojas died in Talavera de la Reina in 1541, between April 3rd and 8th. His detailed will, dated April 3rd, survives and has been invaluable to critics studying his extensive library. He bequeathed his law books to his son (also a lawyer) and his secular literature to his wife.

Curiously, the inventory of his library does not list any publication or manuscript of La Celestina, despite the fact that at least 32 editions of the work existed by the time of his death.