JUAN EUGENIO

HARTZENBUSCH (18o6-188o)  , Spanish dramatist, was born at Madrid on the 6th of September 18o6 . The son of a German carpenter, he was educated for the priest-hood, but he had no religious vocation and, on leaving school, followed his father's trade till 183o, when he learned shorthand and joined the staff of the Gaceta . His earliest dramatic essays were translations from Moliere, Voltaire and the elder Dumas; he next recast old Spanish plays, and in 1837 produced his first original play, Los Amantes de Teruel. the subject of which had been used by Rey de Artieda, Tirso de Molina and Perez de Montalban . Los Amantes de Teruel at once made the author's reputation, which was scarcely maintained by Dona Mencia (1830) and Alfonso el Casio (1841); it was not till 1845 that he approached his former success with La Jura en Santa Gadea . Hartzenbusch was chief of the National Library from 1862 to 1 8 7 5 , and was an indefatigable—though not very judicious—editor of many national classics . Inferior in inspiration to other contemporary Spanish dramatists, Hartzenbusch excels his rivals in versatility and in conscientious workmanship .