CAMPOAMOR Y CAMPOOSORIO, RAMON DE 0819-1900, Spanish poet, born at Navia (Asturias) . Abandon ing his first intention of entering the Jesuit order, he studied medicine at Madrid, found an opening in politics as a supporter of the Moderate party, and became governor of Castellon de la Plana, of Alicante and of Valencia. His conservative tendencies grew more pronounced with time, and his Polemicas con la Democracia (1862) may be taken as the definitive expression of his political opinions. His first appearance as a poet dated from 1840, when he published his Ternezas y fibres, a collection of idyllic verses, remarkable for their technical excellence. These were followed by Ayes del Alma (1842) and Fdbulas morales y politicas (1842) . Campoamor's theatrical pieces, such as El Palacio de la V erdad (1871 ) , Dies Irae ) , El Honor (18 74 ) and Glorias Humanas (1885), are interesting experiments; but they are totally lacking in dramatic spirit. He always showed a keen interest in metaphysical and philosophic questions, and de fined his position in La Filosofia de las leyes (1846), El Per sonalismo (1855), Lo Absoluto (1865) and El Ideismo (1883). These studies are chiefly valuable as embodying fragments of self-revelation, and as having led to the composition of those doloras, humoradas and pequenos poemas, which the poet's ad mirers regard as a new poetic species. The first collection of Doloras, philosophic epigrams, was printed in 1846, and it cannot be denied that. the poet's special gifts of irony, grace and pathos find their best expression in them. Taking a commonplace theme, he presents in four, eight or twelve lines a perfect miniature of condensed emotion, and by his choice of a vehicle he has avoided the fatal facility and copiousness which have led many Spanish poets to destruction. But his influence has not been always for good. His formula is too easily mastered, and to his example is due a plague of doloras and humoradas by poetasters who have caricatured their model. Though the title of a philosophic poet will be denied to him, he will survive, at least in extract, as a dis tinguished humorist, an expert in epigrammatic and sententious aphorism, and an artist of extremely finished execution.
(J. F.-K.)