The National Library said on Tuesday that experts later confirmed that the Baroque playwright – one of the most important names in Spain’s Golden Age – had written ‘La francesa Laura’ (The Frenchwoman Laura) a few years earlier. his death in 1635.
Experts later confirmed that Lope de Vega wrote the play a few years before his death in 1635. Credit: Juan Medina/Reuters
The manuscript preserved in the library archives is a copy dating from the end of the 17th century, long after the death of the author of “Fuente Ovejuna” and “The Knight of Olmedo”.
Researchers from the universities of Vienna and Valladolid used AI to transcribe 1,300 anonymous manuscripts and books at the library, saving years of human effort, and also attempted to discover their authorship by comparing each work to a selection of words used by different writers.
The National Library said the words used in the text were “closely aligned with those of Lope, not those of the other 350 playwrights who were part of the experiment.”
Experts then used traditional resources of philological research to corroborate the findings.
“La Française Laura is a remarkable piece, with the dramatic force expected of a mature Lope de Vega,” the library said.
The plot centers around Laura, the daughter of the Duke of Brittany and wife of Count Arnaldo. The heir to the throne of France is captivated by her, and although she rejects him, her jealous husband tries to poison her. In the end, Laura’s righteousness is proven and happiness is restored.
The Gredos publishing house will publish the book in Spanish in the coming months.