Manuel Zeno GandÃa
Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía ( born January 10, 1855 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, † 1930 in Santurce, Puerto Rico ) was a Puerto Rican physician and writer.
Life
Manuel Zeno Gandía was born as the son of wealthy landowners and experienced as a child, the difficult working conditions on the farm. After completing his education he went to Spain, where he continued his PhD in Medicine and Surgery graduated from the University of Barcelona. During his time in Spain he discovered his penchant for political literature. His interest in politics made him an advocate of Puerto Rican independence.
After his return to the island he opened his medical practice in his home town of Arecibo. In 1894 he published La Charca ( The Pond ), the first serious novel, Puerto Rico. The story dealt with the serious life in coffee - growing regions in the distant mountains and the injustices suffered by the poor farm workers against the rich landowners. As a classic of the naturalistic novel was recorded with Garduña, El Negocio and speech stores in Las Cronicas de un Mundo Enfermo ( The Chronicles of a sick world).
After the invasion of the United States in 1898 in the Spanish -American War Zeno Gandía traveled to Washington, DC, where he campaigned together with Eugenio María de Hostos for the independence of Puerto Rico. However, the U.S. government rejected the plans and declared the island a territory of the United States. After his return to Zeno Gandía operated until his death in 1930 continued as a writer and political activist.
A school and several streets are named after him. The government of Puerto Rico ruled that in 2007 a statue on Paseo de la Coovadonga to be erected on the grounds of the Capitol. In his hometown of a credit institution and an industrial facility bear his name.