Mariano José de Larra wrote at a period when the terms of literature itself were being argued over.
The record lists Mariano José de Larra as Spanish romantic writer (1809-1837).
Mariano José de Larra was born at Madrid in 1809. His recorded nationality is Spain.
The nineteenth century was the age of the serialised novel and mass literacy; writers reached audiences of a size never seen before.
He worked as writer, journalist and playwright.
His name is attached above all to numerous essays and his infamous suicide. Books outlive their reviews, and the ones that last are seldom the ones that sold best.
That the work was written from Spain matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Mariano José de Larra died in 1837, aged 28. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
