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Pío Baroja y Nessi was born in San Sebastián,
Spain in 1872 and was one of the key novelists of
the Generation of '98.  Although educated as a
physician, Baroja only practiced this trade
briefly. He also managed the family bakery for a
short time and ran unsuccessfully on two occasions
for a seat at the Cortes Generales|Cortes (Spanish
parliament) as a Republican. Baroja's true
calling, however, was always writing, which he
began seriously at the age of 13.

His first novel was La Casa de Aizgorri ("The
House of Aizgorri", 1900), which is part of a
trilogy called La Tierra Vasca (The Basque
Country, 1900-09).  This trilogy also includes El
Mayorazgo de Labraz (The Lord of Labraz, 1903)
which became one of his most popular novels in
Spain.  However, he is best known internationally
by another trilogy entitled La Lucha por La Vida
(The Struggle for Life, 1922-24) which offers a
vivid depiction of life in Madrid's slums. John
dos Passos greatly admired these works and wrote
about them.  Another major work, Memorias de un
Hombre de Acción (Memories of a Man of Action,
1913-31), offer a depiction of one of his
ancestors who lived in the Basque region during
the Carlist uprising in the 19th century. However
some believe his masterpiece to be Tree of
Knowledge. 

In keeping with Spanish literary tradition, Baroja
often wrote in a pessimistic, picaresque style. 
His deft portrayal of the characters and settings
brought the Basque Country|Basque region to life
much as Benito Pérez Galdós' works offered an
insight into Madrid.  Baroja's works were often
lively, but could be lacking in plot, and are
written in an abrupt, vivid, yet impersonal style.
 Baroja died in 1956.
Ernest Hemingway was greatly influenced by Baroja,
although this is not fully appreciated by
English-speaking critics.

==Works available in English==

*Tree of Knowledge (1974). Howard Fertig: ISBN
0865273162
*Zalacain the Adventurer (1998). Lost Coast Press:
ISBN 1882897137
*Caesar or Nothing (1976). Howard Fertig: ISBN
0865272247
*Youth And Egolatry (2004). Kessinger Publishing

== External links ==

*gutenberg author|id=P%C3%ADo_Baroja|name=Baroja