born с 1283, Alcalá, Spain
died с 1350
Spanish poet and cleric.
Educated at Toledo, Ruiz was serving as a village archpriest when he finished his masterpiece, The Book of Good Love (1330, expanded 1343). Perhaps the most important long poem in medieval Spanish literature, it contains 12 narrative poems, each describing a different love affair. Its title refers to the distinction the author makes between the (good) love of God and carnal love. Drawing on material from an impressive range of literary and other sources, it presents a vigorous, high-spirited, satirical glimpse of medieval life.