Ventura Ruiz Aguilera

He moved to Madrid in 1844, where he engaged in political journalism and later occupied important official positions under the liberal ministries.

[1] Aguilera won considerable popularity with a collection of poems entitled Ecos Nacionales (1849).

[1] In this work, and in the journals he edited or controlled, he endeavored to arouse the masses to a sense of their national dignity.

[citation needed] His Elegías y armonías (1863) was no less successful than the Ecos, but his Sátiras (1874) and Estaciones del año (1879) showed that his powers were declining.

He wrote under the obvious influence of Lamartine, preaching the gospel of liberalism and Christianity in verses which, though deficient in force, leave the impression of a sincere devotion and a charming personality.