George Santayana was a Spanish-American philosopher, poet, novelist, and critic. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University and taught philosophy there from 1889-1912. Santayana resigned from Harvard in 1912 and left the United States for good. He lived most of the time in England, and then he settled in Italy. He died in Rome in 1952. Santayana is chiefly of interest today as cultural critic and as an influence on the American writers who knew him as teacher, notably Wallace Stevens. Santayana’s philosophical works were admired during his lifetime by both his peers and the general public. His one novel and his autobiography were best-sellers.

Santayana had a complicated family background. He was born in Madrid on December 16, 1863. Santayana’s parents

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Citation: Hendricks, Ted. "George Santayana". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 January 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3931, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3931 George Santayana 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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