CLAVIJO Y FAJARDO

clavijo y fajardo, jose (1730-1806), spanish publicist, was born at lanzarote (canary islands) in 1730. he settled in madrid, became editor of _el pensador_, and by his campaign against the public performance of _autos sacramentales_ secured their prohibition in 1765. in 1770 he was appointed director of the royal theatres, a post which he resigned in order to take up the editorship of the _mercurio historico y politico de madrid_: at the time of his death in 1806 he was secretary to the cabinet of natural history. he had in abundance the courage, perseverance and gift of pungent expression which form the equipment of the aggressive journalist, but his work would long since have been forgotten were it not that it put an end to a peculiarly national form of dramatic exposition, and that his love affair with one of beaumarchais' sisters suggested the theme of goethe's first publication, _clavigo_.