Moses Ibn Ezra

Moses ibn Ezra (c. 1055–c. 1138) was an Andalusi Jewish poet, philosopher, and Hebrew grammarian from Granada, active during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in medieval Spain. Writing in Hebrew, he became known for refined secular verse as well as religious poetry, drawing on Arabic literary models while shaping a distinctive Hebrew style. Political upheaval and changing conditions in al-Andalus led him to leave Granada and spend much of his later life in exile. Ibn Ezra also produced influential prose on poetics and rhetoric, reflecting on the craft of Hebrew poetry and its relationship to Arabic culture. His work helped define medieval Hebrew literary aesthetics.