Benito Pérez Galdós

Benito Pérez Galdós was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1843 and moved to Madrid in the 1860s to study law. There he soon became involved in journalism and literary life before consolidating his place as one of the major narrative voices of Spanish realism.

His work combines novels, theatre, articles and a broad historical narration of contemporary Spain. In 1873 he began the National Episodes with Trafalgar, a series that reconstructs episodes of Spanish history through fictional characters and historical figures. Alongside that series he published novels such as Fortunata and Jacinta, Miau and Misericordia.

Galdós also had a public career: he served as a deputy in several legislatures and became a full member of the Real Academia Española, elected to seat N in 1889 and formally admitted in 1897. He died in Madrid on 4 January 1920; his link with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is maintained especially through his birthplace, now the Pérez Galdós House Museum.