Agustín Durán
Encyclopedia
Agustín Durán Spanish
scholar, was born in Madrid
, where his father was the court physician
.
Durán was sent to the seminary at Vergara
, whence he returned learned in the traditions of Spanish romance
. In 1817 he began the study of philosophy
and law
at the university of Seville
, and in due course was admitted to the bar at Valladolid
. From 1821 to 1823 he held a post in the education department at Madrid, but in the latter year he was suspended on account of his political opinions.
In 1834, Durán became secretary of the board for the censorship
of the press, and shortly afterwards obtained a post in the national library at Madrid. The revolution of 1840 led to his dismissal, but he was reinstated in 1843. In 1854, Durán was appointed as the chief librarian. The next year, however, he retired to devote himself to his literary work. In 1828, shortly after his first discharge from office, he published anonymously his Discurso sobre el influjo que ha tenido la critica moderna en la decadencia del teatro antiguo; this treatise greatly influenced the younger dramatists of the day.
He next endeavoured to interest his fellow-countrymen in their ancient, neglected ballads, and in the forgotten dramas of the 17th century. Five volumes of a Romancero general appeared from 1828 to 1832 (republished, with considerable additions, in 2 vols. 1849-1851), and Talía española (1834), a reprint of old Spanish comedies. Durán's Romancero general is the fullest collection of the kind and is therefore unlikely to be superseded, though the texts are inferior to those edited by Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
.
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Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
scholar, was born in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, where his father was the court physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Durán was sent to the seminary at Vergara
Vergara
-Places:As a place name, it is an older spelling of Bergara, a town in Gipuzkoa, Spain.* Vergara, Uruguay* Vergara, Cundinamarca, Colombia-People:It is also a Basque surname :* Federico Bergara, Uruguayan footballer...
, whence he returned learned in the traditions of Spanish romance
Spanish Romance literature
Spanish Romanticism arrived late and lasted only for a short but intense period, since in the second half of the 19th century it was supplanted by Realism, whose nature was antithetical to that of Romantic literature....
. In 1817 he began the study of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at the university of Seville
University of Seville
The Universidad de Sevilla or University of Seville, in English, is a top-ranked European university in Seville, Spain. Founded under the name of Colegio Santa María de Jesús in 1505, the University of Seville, with a student body of over 50,000, is one of the top-ranked universities in the country...
, and in due course was admitted to the bar at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
. From 1821 to 1823 he held a post in the education department at Madrid, but in the latter year he was suspended on account of his political opinions.
In 1834, Durán became secretary of the board for the censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
of the press, and shortly afterwards obtained a post in the national library at Madrid. The revolution of 1840 led to his dismissal, but he was reinstated in 1843. In 1854, Durán was appointed as the chief librarian. The next year, however, he retired to devote himself to his literary work. In 1828, shortly after his first discharge from office, he published anonymously his Discurso sobre el influjo que ha tenido la critica moderna en la decadencia del teatro antiguo; this treatise greatly influenced the younger dramatists of the day.
He next endeavoured to interest his fellow-countrymen in their ancient, neglected ballads, and in the forgotten dramas of the 17th century. Five volumes of a Romancero general appeared from 1828 to 1832 (republished, with considerable additions, in 2 vols. 1849-1851), and Talía española (1834), a reprint of old Spanish comedies. Durán's Romancero general is the fullest collection of the kind and is therefore unlikely to be superseded, though the texts are inferior to those edited by Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo
Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo was a Spanish scholar, historian and literary critic. Even though his main interest was the History of ideas, and Hispanic philology in general, he also cultivated poetry, translation and philosophy.He was born at Santander where he showed that he was an infant prodigy...
.
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