Pagine1600–1681 · Madrid, Spain · also known as Calderón, Calderon de la Barca
Pedro Calderón de la Barca was the last great dramatist of Spain’s Golden Age, a court playwright who later became a priest. Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueño, 1635) — a prince imprisoned from birth because of a prophecy, released for one day — asks whether our lives are real. The Mayor of Zalamea is a gripping drama of honour and justice.
Begin with Life Is a Dream.
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Miguel de Cervantes · Lope de Vega · Benito Pérez Galdós · Emilia Pardo Bazán · Vicente Blasco Ibáñez · Miguel de Unamuno · Federico García Lorca · Camilo José Cela
Pedro Calderón de la Barca was the last great dramatist of Spain’s Golden Age, a court playwright who later became a priest. Life Is a Dream (La vida es sueño, 1635) — a prince imprisoned from birth because of a prophecy, released for one day — asks whether our lives are real.
Life Is a Dream is usually considered Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s best-known work, followed by The Mayor of Zalamea.
Most readers start with Life Is a Dream.
Both refer to the same writer. Other spellings and names include Calderón, Calderon de la Barca.
Many of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s works are in the public domain; we link to free editions below.