About “Laberinto de Fortuna”
Laberinto de Fortuna is the major work of Juan de Mena, completed in 1444. Written in "arte mayor," the poem was intended as a piece of political propaganda supporting Castilian unity under Álvaro de Luna, the favored advisor of King Juan II. While the title suggests a focus on Fortune, the work includes social satire that criticizes corrupt nobles and calls on the king to act against them. The poem was widely read in the 15th and 16th centuries but was difficult to understand due to its complex language and structure. A "glossed" version was published in 1499 to help readers. The work is also known as Las treszientas because it contains 300 stanzas. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)
Book details
- Published
- 1444