Castles in the air: two works of Renaissance and Baroque Iberian poetry 

The Rare Books department of Cambridge University Library has recently acquired two rare volumes of seventeenth-century poetry, both printed in Lisbon. These two books represent a very important addition to the Early Modern Iberian poetry collection of the UL. Sá de Miranda (1481-1558) and Manuel de Galhegos (1597-1665) – often spelled ‘Gallegos’ – were Portuguese authors who composed literary works in their own language and also in Spanish.  Both authors represent two different moments, the Renaissance and the Baroque periods, in the literary and cultural exchange between Spain and Portugal during the 16th and 17th centuries. This link became stronger between 1580 and 1640 when Portugal was united to the crown of Castile after King Sebastian died without heirs and his uncle, Philip II of Spain, successfully imposed his dynastic claim. Several Portuguese poets also wrote in Spanish; one only needs to think of Luis de Camões and his production in both languages.