Spanish Authors

This well-known Spanish essayist and philosopher was born in Madrid in 1883. Completing his studies there, he received his doctorate degree in philosophy in 1904. He then continued studying at the univerisites of Berlin, Leipzig and Marburg. Ortega was later appointed professor of metaphysics at the University o Madrid and founded several magazines and journals, among them Faro, Espãna, Revista de Occidente and El Sol.

This writer was noted for his criticism of modern society and civilization. The subject matters and themes of his writings include history, ethics, politics, metaphysics, epistemology and the histoyr of philosophy. Some of his best known works include El Tema de Nuestro Teimpo (The Modern Theme) 1923, España Invertebrada (Invertebrate Spain) 1921, La Deshumanizaciòn del Arte (The Dehumanization of Art) 1925, La Rebeliòn de las Masas, (The Revolt of the Masses) 1929, La Misiòn de la Universidad (Mission of the University) 1930 and Some Lessons in Metaphysics (published posthumously in1970). The main theme in The Revolt of the Masses, was his view on 20th-century-society, a society dominated by the masses - clone-like, unthinking, mediocre indiviguals taking over everything in sight.

Ortega was a member of the Spanish Parliament (Cortes) from 1931 to 1933, which promulgated the republican constitution. He left Spain in 1936 when the Civil War broke out and lived abroad until his retrun in the late 1940's.