The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Cruz, Ramón de la
(rämn´ d lä krth) (KEY) , 173194, Spanish dramatist. He wrote tragedies and adapted French and Italian plays, but he owes his fame to his sainetes, some 450 masterly one-act comedies that depict the life of the middle and lower classes. His work freed the awakening Spanish drama from foreign influence.