Spanish dramatist who, with Adelardo López de Ayala y Herrera, dominated the Spanish stage in the mid-19th century. He was a key figure in the transition from Romanticism to Realism in Spanish literature.

Tamayo y Baus was the son of a well-known actor and actress. He began writing plays at a very early age, and one of his dramas received its first production when he was 11 years old. A prolific and versatile playwright who wrote in every style and genre, he had an extremely successful career in the theatre. In 1870, however, he stopped writing to become director of the National Library and secretary to the Spanish Academy.

His career falls into two phases: first, under the influence of the German dramatist Friedrich Schiller, he produced romantic historical dramas such as La ricahembra (1854; “The Lady”) and Locura de amor (1855; “The Madness of Love”); in his second phase he wrote realistic thesis plays that denounced the evils of contemporary Spanish society—materialism (Lo positivo, 1862; “The Real”), dueling (Lances de honor, 1863; “Quarrels of Honour”), and tolerance of high-level corruption (Los hombres de bien, 1870; “Reputable Men”). Tamayo y Baus had an actor's knowledge of stagecraft and was able to make his satiric comedies come to life on the stage.

His masterpiece, which brought him international fame, is Un drama nuevo (1867; A New Drama), a skillful and moving tragedy.