born Aug. 12, 1866, Madrid, Spain
died July 14, 1954, Madrid
Spanish dramatist.
His most celebrated work, The Bonds of Interest (1907), was based on the Italian commedia dell'arte; his 1913 tragedy La malquerida was also popular. During the Spanish Civil War he was detained by the authorities for a time, but he reestablished himself in official favour with Lo increíble (1941). One of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century, he continued to write until the end of his life, producing more than 150 plays. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922.