Galdós’s Mancha Connection Revealed in New Book

Marciano Ortega, former mayor of El Toboso, Spain, published a book detailing the connection between Benito Pérez Galdós and the towns of El Toboso and Quintanar de la Orden. Ortega began investigating after a resident questioned the origin of Julián Sanz del Río, the name of a local street. His research uncovered that Sanz del Río was a professor shared by both Galdós and Antonio Nuño de la Rosa, a friend of Galdós from their university days.

The investigation extended to Galdós’s novels, where Ortega identified references to local families and customs. He argues that the character of Alejandro Miquis in ‘El doctor Centeno’ is likely based on Nuño de la Rosa, and that the novel itself is a veiled biography.

Ortega also details Galdós’s famous political rally held in Quintanar de la Orden in 1909, attended by over 5,000 people. The book illuminates a lasting relationship between the famed author and the region of La Mancha, evidenced through correspondence, gifts, and literary allusions.