ALEMAN, MATEO (i547-1609?), Spanish novelist and man of letters, was born at Seville. He graduated at Seville uni versity in 1564, studied later at Salamanca and Alcala, and from 1571 to 1588 held a post in the treasury; in 1594 he was arrested on suspicion of malversation, but was speedily released. In 1599 he published the first part of Guzmon de Alfarache, a celebrated picaresque novel which passed through not less than 16 editions in five years, and was translated into French (I600), English (1623) and Latin (1623) ; a spurious sequel was issued in 16°2, but the authentic continuation did not appear till 1604. In 1608 Alernan emigrated to America, and is said to have carried on business as a printer in Mexico City ; his Ortografia castellana (16o9), published there, contains ingenious and practical proposals for the reform of Spanish spelling. Nothing is recorded of Aleman after 1609, but it is sometimes asserted that he was still living in 1617.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.-See J. Hazafias y la Rua, Discursos leidos en la Real Bibliography.-See J. Hazafias y la Rua, Discursos leidos en la Real Academia Sevillana de Buenas letras el 25 de marzo de 1892 (Sevilla, 1892) ; J. Gestoso y Perez, Nuevos datos para ilustrar las biografias del Maestro Juan de Malara y de Mateo Alemcin (Sevilla, 1896).