Alarcón, Juan Ruiz de [key], 1581?–1639, Spanish dramatic poet, one of the great literary figures of the Spanish Golden Age, b. Mexico. After practicing law in Spain (1600–1608) and Mexico, he returned (1613) to Spain, where he obtained a minor government post. Like Molière, Alarcón was a comedic moralist; his comedies (2 vol., 1628–34) are notable for brilliant characterization and lively dialogue. Alarcón was a hunchback, and his carefully wrought plays reflect the stoic point of view that this circumstance compelled him to adopt. Best known is La Verdad Sospechosa [The Suspicious Truth], which was the model for Corneille's Le Menteur.
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