Alas, Leopoldo (1852–1901)

Spanish novelist and literary critic. His masterpiece, published under the pseudonym of Clatin, is La Regenta (1884), the tragic study of a sensitive woman in a dull and hypocritical provincial milieu.

He was born in Zamora and taught law at Oviedo University. Notorious for his acid critical reviews, Alas later progressed to an increasingly Catholic and conservative position. Other works include Su único hijo (1890) and short stories.