# Fabricio Núñez — Gil Blas character guide

> Fabricio Núñez in Gil Blas by Alain-René Lesage.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** poor Fabricio, Núñez, barber Núñez

**First appearance:** 0012-ix

## Snapshot

A barber's son turned court hanger-on, whose cheerful poverty and gift for gossip make him Gil Blas's most endearing friend.

## Who they are

Fabricio Núñez, whom Gil Blas first knew as a servant in Valladolid, reappears at Madrid dressed like a grandee and chatting familiarly with dukes and marquises. He lives in a single room partitioned into four, papered with maps and philosophical sheets, and insists on seeing everything on the bright side. His rise through sheer affability, and his refusal to be ashamed of his threadbare grandeur, make him both a comic mirror of court ambition and a genuine comfort to Gil Blas.

## In the story

### [Book I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/book-i)

Barber and fellow servant of Doctor Sangrado; later meets Gil Blas in Madrid.

### [Chapter I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/i)

Gil Blas's fellow-servant who recommends him to the licentiate; recognized by Dame Jacintha as an old acquaintance.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/iii)

Meets Gil Blas on the street, laughs at his appearance, and later drinks with him at a tavern.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/vi)

Mentioned as Gil Blas's dear friend from whom he parted without taking leave.

### [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/book-iii)

Barber and fellow prisoner of the banditti; later meets Gil Blas in Madrid.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/xiv)

Referred to as Núñez; accompanies Gil Blas to the count's house and praises his abilities.

### [Gil Blas makes a large fortune in a short time, and behaves like other wealthy upstarts.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/ix)

Invited to supper by Gil Blas via anonymous note; brings six authors who brawl at the dinner.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/vii)

Found in a hospital, impoverished and ill from writing; renounces poetry and accepts Gil Blas's help.

### [Gil Blas meets with the poet Núñez by accident, and learns that he has written a tragedy, which is on the point of being brought out at the theatre royal—The ill fortune of the piece, and the good fortune of its author.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/x)

Now employed by Don Bertrand Gómez del Ribero as a secretary and poet; his tragedy 'The Count of Saldaña' is performed and fails, but he gains a pension.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/xi)

Núñez is mentioned as the poet whose unexpected good luck inspired Scipio's envy.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/xiv)

Hosts a dinner for literary friends in his new lodgings, introduces Gil Blas to the company, and later explains his amicable separation from Don Bertrand.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/chapters/vii)

Has lost his annuity from Don Bertrand; warns Gil Blas about the Duke of Lerma's precarious position.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/characters/fabricio_nunez
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/gil_blas_se/characters