ZORRILLA DE SAN MARTN, JUAN

born Dec. 28, 1855, Montevideo died Nov. 3, 1931, Montevideo Uruguayan poet famous for a long historical verse epic, Tabar (1886; final edition after several revisions, 1926), a poem in six cantos, based upon a legend of the love between a Spanish girl and an Indian boy. Zorrilla de San Martn was educated in various Jesuit schools throughout South America (Santiago, Santa F, Montevideo). His first work, Notas de un himno (1876; Notes for a Hymn), dealing with themes of sadness and patriotism, clearly reflects the influence of the famous Spanish Romantic poet Gustavo Adolfo Becquer and sets the tone for all his poetic work that followed. In 1878 he founded the Catholic periodical El bien pblico and the next year achieved renown for his patriotic ode La leyenda patria (The Fatherland Legend). Throughout his life he held various government posts, including Uruguayan minister to France, Portugal, Spain, and the Vatican.