Ramón de la Cruz

Ramón de la Cruz was a Spanish Spanish [Enlightenment literature|neoclassical] dramatist.
Born in Madrid, he was a clerk in the ministry of finance. He is the author of nearly 400 sainetes, little farcical sketches of city life, written to be played between the acts of a longer play. He published a selection in ten volumes. The best of his pieces, such as Las Tertulias de Madrid, are specimens of satiric observation.
Historians acknowledge that his writings provide a vivid window into the life of late 18th century Madrid, including satirizing the customs of the different classes of the city.