At various times, he was also a swimmer and a boxing referee. He was a polyglot, speaking seven languages. Most of his life was spent in Rio Cuarto where he served as a magistrate.
He wrote 55 novels, all of which were given titles with seven letters: Caterva, ¡Estafen!, Aquende, Louisiana Purga, Metopas, Periplo, Sexamor, Tal Cual and Zodíaco are among the best known.
He also composed over 6,000 palindromes and coined words which have passed into general usage. He died of natural causes while sleeping, shortly before his 106th birthday.
He often said that he wanted to live in three centuries. His burial place is in the "Cementerio San Jerónimo" in Córdoba, Argentina.