Spanish Authors

Another prominent member of the well-known Generation of 98, this Spanish writer was born in San Sebastian (Basque country) in 1872. In his earlier years he studied Medicine in Madrid, the city he lived in for most of his life. He started writing, however, at the young age of 13.  

His best literary contribution is widely considered to be El árbol de la ciencia (The Tree of Knowledge), published in 1911, which was written in his characteristic pessimistic style.  However he also had several other works which received international recognition, including The Struggle for Life (1922-24). This trilogy focused on life in the slums of Madrid.

During the Spanish Civil War years, like many authors and intellectuals of his generation, he lived in Fance. He was named a member of the Real Academia Española in 1955, but died a year later in Madrid.