Tragic Sense of Life

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was born in Bilbao, Spain on September 29, 1864. He received a doctorate in philosophy and letters from the University of Madrid in 1884. He became a professor of Greek language and literature at the University of Salamanca in 1891. Although he also wrote poetry and plays, Unamuno was primarily known as an essayist and novelist. His works include The Life of Don Quixote and Sancho, The Tragic Sense of Life, and The Agony of Christianity. His novels include Peace in War, Mist, and Abel Sanchez. He took a controversial, vocal stance on political and social issues. He was removed as rector of the University of Salamanca in 1914 after publicly espousing the Allied cause in World War I. He was forced into exiled in 1924 because of his opposition to General Miguel Primo de Rivera's rule in Spain. When Primo de Rivera's dictatorship fell, Unamuno returned to the University of Salamanca and was reelected rector of the university in 1931. He was removed again in October 1936 after he denounced General Francisco Franco's Falangists and was placed under house arrest. He died of a heart attack on December 31, 1936.