A Spanish playwright and critic who was born in Madrid in 1866, Benavente first gained recognition with a series of women’s letters titled Cartas de mujeres (1893) and the comic play El nido ajeno (1894).
With his witty, satiric dialogue, Benavente often attacked social climbers, the wealthy and feudal institutions.
In 1922, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature and subsequently traveled throughout theAmericas, presenting his works with a theater company.
Benavente wrote numerous comedies and tragedies, among the most notable of which are Los intereses creados (1907), a farce written on the pattern of the Italian Commedia dell’arte; La malquerida (1913); and some children’s plays.
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