Jaén is a literary province. A land that, throughout centuries, has been linked to the Spanish literary creation, whether being the cradle of popular writers, a place of residence for poets, literary men and mystics, or the setting where a novel or verses of a novel developed or were inspired in. Universal poets and famous storytellers have found in the landscapes and towns of the province of Jaén the ideal setting to develop their works. Our land, our mountains and rivers, our olive groves and fields, its people, its popular culture and its romantic legends have been immortalized in the pages of Spanish literature.

The literary heritage linked to the province of Jaén is substantial. We are talking about leading figures in Spanish literature such as Cervantes or Quevedo; of universal poets such as Miguel Hernández or Federico García Lorca; of great authors, whether they are classics such as Jorge Manrique, Teresa de Ávila, or San Juan de la Cruz or contemporaries who have their roots in Jaén, such as Eslava Galán, Manuel Andújar or Patrocinio Biedma; of manuscripts such as “Cántico Espiritual”, of passages from “Los Episodios Nacionales” by Pérez Galdós located in the province or of the Andalusian travels of Camilo José Cela; of scenarios such as “Los campos de Baeza” by Machado or “Mágina” by Muñoz Molina. There is an endless number of examples of literary figures closely connected to Jaén. The Literary Atlas of the Province of Jaén, edited by Institute of Jaén Studies offers complete and detailed information on this historical link between Jaén and literature.