One of the best 19th-century lyric poets, Bécquer was a Spanish poet and writer of romantic tales. Orphaned by 11, unhappily married, and living in poverty for most of his brief life, he became lonely and introspective. His celebrated suite of poems, Rimas, is characterized by the melancholy and resigned bitterness of the romantics. He was moderately well known during his life but gained wider acclaim following the posthumous publication of many of his works. What caused his early death? Discuss