Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Gallardo, Aurelio Luis

GALLARDO, Aurelio Luis (gal-yar'-do), Mexican poet, b. in León, Guanajuato, 3 Nov., 1831; d. in Napa, Cal., 27 Nov., 1869. In his earliest youth his parents settled in Guadalajara, and he studied in the seminary of that city. After his marriage he gave himself up entirely to literature, and published many minor poems and pieces for the theatre, which were well received. His style is simple and natural, and in his patriotic poems he shows an enthusiastic belief in the ulterior success of the republic and the overthrow of the empire. These productions attracted the persecution of the Imperialists, and in 1866 he was forced to emigrate to San Francisco, Cal. There he continued his poetical labors, contributed to the Spanish papers of the state, and in 1868 founded, in San Francisco, “El Republicano.” His works are three volumes of poems, “Sueños y Sombras” (Mexico, 1856), “Nubes y Estrellas” (Guadalajara, 1865), and “Leyendas y Ronmnces” (San Francisco, 1868); also a collection of poems, “Leyendas intimas,” and a novel, “Adah, ó el Amor de un Angel,” published in the literary section of his paper in California. He also wrote about twenty comedies, of which the best known are “El Pintor de Florencia,” “Abrojos del Corazón,” “Los Mártires de Tacubaya,” “La Hechicera de Córdoba,” and the drama “Maria Antonieta de Lorena,” which by many is considered his best production.