… humano, así como tampoco dejé de sobresalir en el merodeo de la fruta… What does this phrase mean in English?
Seems enigmatic … You should give a larger piece of the text!
sobresalir = jut out, stick out
but also often used to mean “excel in something”, in this use it’s synonimous with “destacar”
More context would help but I’d say it means
“Besides, I did not fail to excel in …”
Así como = besides, moreover
no dejar de hacer algo = not to fail to do something
Oh, I forgot the “merodeo de la fruta” part. This is not a very common use. “Merodear” usually means “wander about”, “prowl”, “lurk”.
A less common meaning is " Vagar por el campo viviendo de lo que se coge o roba.", as here.
So, the whole sentence could be translated as:
Así como tampoco dejé de sobresalir en el merodeo de la fruta
Moreover, I did not fail to excel in scrumping (scrump - Wiktionary)
Many thanks. This is a book about the battle of Trafalgar and is quite interesting, but, for me, it is a complex piece of writing.
Yes, Pérez Galdós was a great writer. You’ll learn a lot but prepare to get confused from time to time. Don’t hesitate to ask whenever that happens.
I was born and raised not far from the area so there are quite a few things in the narrative that I can relate to.