Manuel Fernández y González

Born in Seville on December 6, 1821, and later dying in Madrid on January 6, 1888, he was a Spanish writer strongly associated with the novela por entregas—the serialized fiction that kept readers coming back for the next installment. Sources also describe him as a poet, dramatist, and journalist, showing how widely he worked across literary forms.

He was extraordinarily prolific: biographical references credit him with around three hundred novels, many centered on historical-legendary subjects or costumbrista scenes. Among the works often cited are Men Rodríguez de Sanabria, El pastelero de Madrigal, and Los desheredados. His fiction was known for its energy, accessibility, and strong sense of popular storytelling.

Archival and reference sources note that he studied Philosophy and Letters and Law at the University of Granada, used the pen name El Diablo con antiparras, and settled in Madrid after marrying Manuela Muñoz de Padilla in 1850. Today he is remembered as a hugely productive figure in nineteenth-century Spanish popular literature.