 dr. manuel zeno gandÃ­a  (january 10, 1855 &ndash; 1930) wrote the novel la charca (the pond), which is considered by many to be the first puerto rican novel. ==early years== zeno gandÃ­a's parents were wealthy land owners in the city of arecibo, puerto rico, where he was born and raised. as a child, zeno gandÃ­a witnessed firsthand the harsh working conditions of the poor farm workers. after receiving his primary and secondary education in his hometown, he went to spain where he studied medicine at the university of barcelona's school of medicine. he graduated with the titles of doctor in medicine and surgeon. he developed his love for political literature during his stay in spain. his interest in politics led him to become an outspoken advocate for puerto rican independence.la charca ==novelist== when zeno gandÃ­a returned to puerto rico, he set up his medical practice in arecibo. in 1894, he published la charca (the pond), the first serious puerto rican novel, which dealt with the harsh life in the remote and mountainous coffee regions in puerto rico. this naturalist novel tells about the injustices that the poor farm hand suffered against the rich landowners. la charca is a puerto rican classic and is one of four novels in las crÃ³nicas de un mundo enfermo (chronicles of a sick world). the other three are garduÃ±a, el negocio (the business) and redentores (the redeemers). in the 1960s, zeno gandÃ­a's best-known novel, la charca was translated to english by kal wagenheim. it remains in print as the pond, published by markus wiener publishers of princeton nj. ==independence advocate== after puerto rico was invaded during the spanish-american war in 1898, zeno gandÃ­a traveled to washington, d.c. where, together with eugenio marÃ­a de hostos, he proposed the idea of independence for puerto rico. the men were disappointed when their ideas were rejected by the government of the united states and the island was converted into a territory. zeno gandÃ­a returned to the island where he continued to write and was politically active. as a member of the puerto rico union party, he also advocated allowing voters to choose among non-colonial options, including annexation, an
1855_births 1930_deaths People_from_Arecibo,_Puerto_Rico Puerto_Rican_independence_activists Puerto_Rican_nationalists Puerto_Rican_novelists Puerto_Rican_politicians