“May Your Holy Inspiration Call Me in the Desert”: New Jewish and Baroque Identity in the Poetry of João Pinto Delgado

Abstract

Abstract The poetry of João Pinto Delgado, a Portuguese converso, adopted Baroque literary conventions to express the viewpoint of a New Christian demonstrating in Spanish a Jewish identity. This article studies the influence of the Spanish Golden Age on poems that Pinto Delgado published in France in 1627 to show how these works express a “New Jewish,” or heretofore forbidden Jewish voice. By analyzing texts that treat themes from the books of Esther, Lamentations, and Exodus, the article explores how Pinto Delgado communicated Jewish themes, regardless of his ability to live openly as a Jew. Additionally, by comparing his poetry with works of Jorge Manrique, Fray Luis de León, and Luis de Góngora, the article proposes that the Jewish perspective of Pinto Delgado coexisted with a Spanish literary one.