Breton de los Herreros

Breton de los Herreros, DON MANUEL, Spanish dramatist, was born in 1800 at Quel, in the province of Logroño, and served as a volunteer in the army from 1814 to 1822. Subsequently he held several government offices, but was always losing them—finally in 1840—on account of his expression of Liberal opinion. He died at Madrid, 13th November 1873. His poems fill 5 vols. (Madrid, 1850-52), and a selection appeared at Paris in 1875. He brought out upwards of 150 pieces, partly original, partly adaptations from the older Spanish classics, and partly translations from the Italian and French, most of which have been highly popular. Indeed, Señor Riaño says, 'he was unrivalled in Spain in the comic situations of his plays, in originality, in the delicacy with which he copied the types of the middle classes, the facility with which he versified his dialogues, and his extraordinary fecundity.'