Manuel Zeno Gandia is considered by many to have written the first Puerto Rican novel. He was a journalist, a poet, a novelist, an editor, a doctor, and a political activist. He is the founder of the newspapers "El Estudio "and "La Opinion "and was an editor of the "Revista de Puerto Rico." He is the author of the poetry collection Abismos" as well as the books "Al monstruo," "Horas de soledad," "Horas de tristeza," "Un infeliz y un infame," and "Piccola," among others.