Baltasar Gracian

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) was a Spanish Jesuit, philosopher, theologian, and writer. He worked as a preacher and professor at several Jesuit colleges. His best-known works include the „Oráculo manual“ („The Pocket Oracle“) and the philosophical-satirical novel „El Criticón“. His writings repeatedly brought him into conflict with the Jesuit leadership, and he was temporarily forbidden to publish. In the German-speaking world, he became especially known through Arthur Schopenhauer’s translation of the „Oráculo manual“.