Manuel Zeno Gandía (January 10, 1855 – January 30, 1930) was a Puerto Rican physician, poet, novelist, journalist and politician. He is best known as the author of La Charca (The Pond), a novel considered by many to be the first Puerto Rican novel. Early years Zeno Gandía was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to wealthy land-owning parents. After receiving his primary and secondary education in his hometown, he went to Spain where he studied medicine at the University of Barcelona's school of medicine. He graduated with the titles of Doctor in Medicine and Surgeon. He developed his love for political literature during his stay in Spain. His interest in politics led him to become an outspoken advocate for Puerto Rican independence. Eduardo Neumann Gandia was his cousin. Physician, poet and novelist When Zeno Gandía returned to Puerto Rico, he set up his medical practice in the city of Ponce. While in Ponce, Zeno Gandia was medical director at the Port of Ponce "in the years up to 1895".<ref>Ramon Morel Campos. Guia local y de comercio de la ciudad de Ponce: Apuntes referentes a la fundacion de la mismadatos sobre su administracion, y noticias importantes, seguido de un ramillete literarioy anuncios recomendados. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta El Telegrafo. 1895. page 114.</ref> It was during this time that Zeno Gandia wrote La Charca. In 1894, he published La Charca (The Pond), the first Puerto Rican novel of significance. The novel's plot deals with the harsh life in the remote and mountainous coffee regions in Puerto Rico. This naturalist novel speaks of the injustices the poor farm worker suffered at the hands of rich landowners. La Charca is a Puerto Rican classic and is one of four novels in Las Crónicas de un Mundo enfermo (Chronicles of a Sick World). The other three are Garduña, El Negocio (The Business) and Redentores (The Redeemers). These novels were also written while Zeno Gandia was a physician in Barrio Playa, Ponce. El Negocio was published in 1922. In the 1960s, Zeno Gandía's best-known novel, La Charca was translated to English by Kal Wagenheim. In English, it remains in print as The Pond, and is published by Markus Wiener Publishers of Princeton, New Jersey. Zeno Gandia had published many poems prior to writing La Charca. Among these poems were La Señora Duquesa and Abismo.Journalist While in Ponce, Zeno Gandia was already politically active and, as many