Short answers, pulled from the story.
San Manuel Bueno, Martir is a short novel by Miguel de Unamuno published in 1931. It follows Don Manuel, a beloved parish priest in the fictional Spanish village of Valverde de Lucerna, who secretly does not believe in God or an afterlife while dedicating his life to serving his congregation. The story is narrated by Angela, a villager who learns the truth about his private doubt.
Miguel de Unamuno wrote San Manuel Bueno, Martir. It was published in 1931, having been written over a period of two months at the end of 1930. Unamuno lived from 1864 to 1936.
San Manuel Bueno, Martir was included on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the Catholic Church's list of forbidden books. The novel centers on a priest who does not believe in the resurrection he preaches, presenting doubt and disbelief within a figure the community venerates as a saint.
A nivola is a literary genre invented by Miguel de Unamuno to describe his own experimental fiction. San Manuel Bueno, Martir fits the form through its shifting narrator, minimalism of action, and sparse description rather than conventional plot-driven structure.
The lake in Valverde de Lucerna carries a legend of a submerged city sleeping beneath its surface. The lake and the mountain above it function as symbols, with the mountain's reflection on the water interpreted as representing the difference between deep faith and its shallow surface image. The fictional setting may have been inspired by the real lake of San Martin de Castaneda in Sanabria, which has its own legend of a submerged city called Valverde de Lucerna.
Don Manuel grows increasingly depressed under the weight of preaching a resurrection he does not believe in. He chooses to die in public in the center of the town, and the people regard him as their second Christ. The final chapter notes that he is being considered for beatification as the ideal and exemplary priest.