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El arte de la prudencia
En El arte de la prudencia Baltasar Gracián recurre al aforismo, pero innovando en su singularidad, y sobre todo en su retorcida, sinuosa, a veces tortuosa, brevedad. Gracián nos presenta todo un sistema de pensamiento, una amplia relación de preceptos y criterios prácticos de conducta para prosperar en el arriesgado entorno social de su época, el siglo XVII, siempre encauzados al éxito personal; y totalmente válidos en nuestros días. Se trata de sobrevivir en un mundo hostil; para triunfar son necesarias las relaciones; por tanto, hay que saber fingir y a la vez, adivinar las maniobras del prójimo. Las advertencias de muchos de sus aforismos son consejos que resultan sorprendentemente pensar positivamente, utilizar las propias capacidades, cuidar al máximo las relaciones, distribuir bien nuestro tiempo, entre muchas recomendaciones para los tiempos actuales. Entre todas las virtudes, la más importante es la prudencia; nos dice que la prudencia nos facilitará ser dueños de nosotros mismos, el conocimiento y el autoconocimiento, y, finalmente, el darnos a conocer, es decir, el manejo de las relaciones interpersonales. «A la moderación en todo redujo la sabiduría toda un sabio. El sumo derecho se hace tuerto, y la naranja que mucho se estruja llega a dar lo amargo».
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 13, 2023
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About the author
Baltasar Gracián
429 books463 followersBaltasar Gracián y Morales, SJ, formerly Anglicized as Baltazar Gracian, was a Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher. He was born in Belmonte, near Calatayud (Aragón). His proto-existentialist writings were lauded by Nietzsche and Schopenhauer.
The son of a doctor, in his childhood Gracián lived with his uncle, who was a priest. He studied at a Jesuit school in 1621 and 1623 and theology in Zaragoza. He was ordained in 1627 and took his final vows in 1635.
He assumed the vows of the Jesuits in 1633 and dedicated himself to teaching in various Jesuit schools. He spent time in Huesca, where he befriended the local scholar Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa, who helped him achieve an important milestone in his intellectual upbringing. He acquired fame as a preacher, although some of his oratorical displays, such as reading a letter sent from Hell from the pulpit, were frowned upon by his superiors. He was named Rector of the Jesuit college of Tarragona and wrote works proposing models for courtly conduct such as El héroe (The Hero), El político (The Politician), and El discreto (The Discreet One). During the Spanish war with Catalonia and France, he was chaplain of the army that liberated Lleida in 1646.
In 1651, he published the first part of the Criticón (Faultfinder) without the permission of his superiors, whom he disobeyed repeatedly. This attracted the Society's displeasure. Ignoring the reprimands, he published the second part of Criticón in 1657, as a result was sanctioned and exiled to Graus at the beginning of 1658. Soon Gracián wrote to apply for membership in another religious order. His demand was not met, but his sanction was eased off: in April of 1658 he was sent to several minor positions under the College of Tarazona. His physical decline prevented him from attending the provincial congregation of Calatayud and on 6 December 1658 Gracián died in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragón.
Gracián is the most representative writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style known as Conceptismo (Conceptism), of which he was the most important theoretician; his Agudeza y arte de ingenio (Wit and the Art of Inventiveness) is at once a poetic, a rhetoric and an anthology of the conceptist style.
The Aragonese village where he was born (Belmonte de Calatayud), changed its name to Belmonte de Gracian in his honour.
The son of a doctor, in his childhood Gracián lived with his uncle, who was a priest. He studied at a Jesuit school in 1621 and 1623 and theology in Zaragoza. He was ordained in 1627 and took his final vows in 1635.
He assumed the vows of the Jesuits in 1633 and dedicated himself to teaching in various Jesuit schools. He spent time in Huesca, where he befriended the local scholar Vincencio Juan de Lastanosa, who helped him achieve an important milestone in his intellectual upbringing. He acquired fame as a preacher, although some of his oratorical displays, such as reading a letter sent from Hell from the pulpit, were frowned upon by his superiors. He was named Rector of the Jesuit college of Tarragona and wrote works proposing models for courtly conduct such as El héroe (The Hero), El político (The Politician), and El discreto (The Discreet One). During the Spanish war with Catalonia and France, he was chaplain of the army that liberated Lleida in 1646.
In 1651, he published the first part of the Criticón (Faultfinder) without the permission of his superiors, whom he disobeyed repeatedly. This attracted the Society's displeasure. Ignoring the reprimands, he published the second part of Criticón in 1657, as a result was sanctioned and exiled to Graus at the beginning of 1658. Soon Gracián wrote to apply for membership in another religious order. His demand was not met, but his sanction was eased off: in April of 1658 he was sent to several minor positions under the College of Tarazona. His physical decline prevented him from attending the provincial congregation of Calatayud and on 6 December 1658 Gracián died in Tarazona, near Zaragoza in the Kingdom of Aragón.
Gracián is the most representative writer of the Spanish Baroque literary style known as Conceptismo (Conceptism), of which he was the most important theoretician; his Agudeza y arte de ingenio (Wit and the Art of Inventiveness) is at once a poetic, a rhetoric and an anthology of the conceptist style.
The Aragonese village where he was born (Belmonte de Calatayud), changed its name to Belmonte de Gracian in his honour.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2026
Llegué a él por Schopenhauer porque era uno de sus libros favoritos. No dudo de que sea muy interesante. Son trescientos aforismos, muchos de los cuales ya habían aparecido en obras anteriores. Son advertencias o avisos, "quintaesencia" de la filosofía moral, para su aplicación práctica en la "paradójica y contradictoria vida cotidiana" según buen prólogo de Guillermo Suazo Pascual. Es pesado de leer hoy en día y me llevó varios meses leyendo de a poco algún que otro aforismo. No es un problema de que sea español antiguo (que lo es), ocurre que es conceptista, muy pero muy comprimido, lleno de elipsis y juegos retóricos. Exige una traducción mental leer cada aforismo.
Además, no explica, dicta, no desarrolla ideas para acompañar al lector. Cansa y se puede leer en dosis mínimas.
Conceptualmente también creo que es un libro que se creó para sobrevivir en la corte, pero no para entenderse a uno mismo, entonces me alejó su prudencia solamente estratégica y la poca respiración humana. Es frío ,es utilitario y es paranoico. El Príncipe de Maquiavelo es un libro de Adam Grant comparado con este. Linda edición la de Edaf.
Además, no explica, dicta, no desarrolla ideas para acompañar al lector. Cansa y se puede leer en dosis mínimas.
Conceptualmente también creo que es un libro que se creó para sobrevivir en la corte, pero no para entenderse a uno mismo, entonces me alejó su prudencia solamente estratégica y la poca respiración humana. Es frío ,es utilitario y es paranoico. El Príncipe de Maquiavelo es un libro de Adam Grant comparado con este. Linda edición la de Edaf.
March 16, 2025
Esta edición es preciosa y está muy bien cuidada. Las anotaciones son pertinentes y aclaran de maravilla las posibles dudas a la hora de leer los aforismos de Gracián.
Y, en cuanto a la obra en sí misma, no tengo mucho que decir. El estilo de Gracián es conciso, pero cargado de recursos literarios y saber popular (que al final es lo que se reclama en este libro). Desde luego, que aplicaré muchos de los consejos que propocionan los aforismos porque tienen más vigencia que nunca en los tiempos en los que estamos.
Por algo Gracián es un gran nombre en las letras hispanas.
Y, en cuanto a la obra en sí misma, no tengo mucho que decir. El estilo de Gracián es conciso, pero cargado de recursos literarios y saber popular (que al final es lo que se reclama en este libro). Desde luego, que aplicaré muchos de los consejos que propocionan los aforismos porque tienen más vigencia que nunca en los tiempos en los que estamos.
Por algo Gracián es un gran nombre en las letras hispanas.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews