one of the most successful of the Spanish romantic dramatists, editor of standard editions of Spanish classics, and author of fanciful poetry in a traditional style.

Hartzenbusch was the son of a German cabinetmaker. Early tribulations ended with the production of Los amantes de Teruel (1837), a vivid dramatization of a legend, followed by successes with comedias de magia (“comedies of magic”)—e.g., Los polvos de la madre Celestina, 1840—and adaptations of Golden Age plays. He entered the Spanish Academy (1847) and became director of the national library (1862).