Benito Pérez Galdós: A Literary Masterpiece of Spanish History
Early Works
In 1870, Benito Pérez Galdós published his first novel, The Golden Fountain, written between 1867 and 1868. The Shadow was published in serial form in The Magazine of Spain in November 1870.
Episodios Nacionales
In 1873, Galdós began publishing his masterpiece, National Episodes, which reflects the intimate life of 19th-century Spain and its national history. It consists of 46 episodes in five series of ten novels each, except the last, which ended inconclusively.
The first series (1873-1875) focuses on the War of Independence (1808-1814) and features Gabriel Araceli as its protagonist.
The second series (1875-1879) deals with the struggles between absolutists and liberals to the death of Ferdinand VII in 1833. Its protagonist is the liberal Salvador Monsalud.
After a hiatus of twenty years, Galdós re-wrote the third series (1898-1900), covering the First Carlist War.
The fourth series (1902-1907) develops between the 1848 Revolution and the fall of Isabel II in 1868. The fifth (1907-1912), incomplete, ends with the restoration of Alfonso XII.
National Episodes is one of the most important works of Spanish literature and has had a considerable influence on the trajectory of the Spanish historical novel.
Maturity
In 1876, Galdós published Miss Perfect, a novel that satirizes ideological intolerance. Despite opposition from the Catholic Church, Galdós was elected to the Royal Spanish Academy in 1889.
Galdós was a regular at the old University of Calle Montera and formed friendships with many intellectuals, including José María de Pereda, Antonio Canovas del Castillo, Francisco Silvela, and Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo.
He traveled extensively in France, England, and Italy, but his friendship with Pereda led him to spend summers in Santander, where he built his famous house in San Quentin.
Galdós also had a great fondness for Toledo, which he made the setting for some of his novels, such as Angel Guerra and Tristana.
In 1884, he traveled to Portugal with his friend Pereda.
Political Involvement
Galdós’s friendships led him to become a deputy for Puerto Rico (1885) and to attend the Cortes in the following year. From 1886 to 1890, he was actively involved in politics as a deputy for the party of Sagasta.
Theatrical Success
On March 15, 1891, the great actress María Guerrero debuted in Galdós’s play Reality. The success of the work and the insistence of Mario and Maria Guerrero led him to write The Madhouse the following year.
San Quentin, released on January 25, 1893, was Galdós’s most resounding theatrical success, lasting fifty nights in the lineup.
Legal Disputes and Publishing
In 1897, Galdós broke away from his first publisher, Honorio Miguel House, and discovered that he had been underpaid by about 80,000 dollars. He also found out that House had been falsifying the number and date of editions of his works.
To regain lost ground, Galdós opened his own publishing house,”Perez Galdos Works” He continued this publishing activity until 1904, when he signed a publishing contract with the Editorial Hernando.