Pío Baroja was raised in a cultured family, studied medicine and worked as a doctor for a brief period in Cestona (Guipúzcoa). However, he soon moved to Madrid to dedicate his life to literature. His first works were published in 1900 and made a major impact on literary circles of the time. In 1935 he entered the Spanish Royal Academy, although he went into exile in France at the start of the Spanish Civil War. His most notable works include La casa de Aizgorri (The Aizgorri House), El mayorazgo de Labraz (Mayor Labraz), Zalacaín el aventurero (Zalacain the Adventurer), Camino de perfección (The Road to Perfection), Paradox Rey (Paradox King), El árbol de la ciencia (The Tree of Science) and Memorias de un hombre de acción (Memoirs of a Man of Action), based on the conspirator Eugenio de Avinareta, one of the author’s descendants. His most famous work outside of Spain is the trilogy La lucha por la vida (The Struggle for Life), a moving description of poverty in Madrid. Between 1944 and 1948 he published his memoirs, which were subtitled Desde la última vuelta del camino (From the last turn in the road).
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