Fernando Demaría
Encyclopedia
Fernando Demaría is an Argentine poet, philosopher and classical scholar.
Demaría studied at Buenos Aires’ Colegio Champagnat, run by the priests of the Marian Order, whose dedication and rectitude represent a cornerstone in the poet’s life.
He then graduated in Philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires
under the guidance of such humanists as Guillermo Thiele y Carlos Astrada, who made a decisive contribution towards defining his intellectual vocation.
Demaría's urban and academic formation, however, finds an indispensable complement in his deep-rooted contact with the land and the rural environment, which has afforded him, in his own words, "the slow and profound teachings of nature", a salient aspect of his poetry and philosophy. He believes that a writer of our time should write few and brief works in order to grant the reader the time to familiarize with the many other authors of value.
Demaría was among the personal friends of Argentine writer and poet Leopoldo Marechal
, who dedicated him the Alegropeya of his Heptamerón series.
Under the guidance of Guillermo Thiele, Demaría published a translation of Heraclitus
' Fragments in1957 for the Universidad Nacional del Litoral. This work was republished in 1972 with the illustrations of Uruguayan artist Lincoln Presno, whose 40 meter memorial monument to John F. Kennedy
in the vast pampa region near Quemú Quemú, a town founded by the poet's grandparents, was built upon the poet's request.
Demaría's study of philosophy led him to the conviction that man's deepest conscience responds to sentiment and feeling rather than to ideas and rationality. His reflections on this aspect of human experience and his own personal quest for clarification resulted in his Treatise on Sentiment or Tratado del Sentimiento, published in 1970 by the Ediciones del Hombre Nuevo, founded among others by his friend Rafael Squirru
.
Among Demaría’s other works: Máximas para la Vida or Maxims for Life, a work in constant re-elaboration.
Regarding his poetry, it has been condensed under the common title of Pampa Roja, elaborated in three stages of his life. Editorial Dunken published the third and final part in 2007 under the name Tierra de Elegía, or Land of Elegy, a collection of love sonnets. The first two editions of Pampa Roja’s first part were illustrated by Argentine artist and personal friend Pérez Celis
.
Demaría studied at Buenos Aires’ Colegio Champagnat, run by the priests of the Marian Order, whose dedication and rectitude represent a cornerstone in the poet’s life.
He then graduated in Philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
under the guidance of such humanists as Guillermo Thiele y Carlos Astrada, who made a decisive contribution towards defining his intellectual vocation.
Demaría's urban and academic formation, however, finds an indispensable complement in his deep-rooted contact with the land and the rural environment, which has afforded him, in his own words, "the slow and profound teachings of nature", a salient aspect of his poetry and philosophy. He believes that a writer of our time should write few and brief works in order to grant the reader the time to familiarize with the many other authors of value.
Demaría was among the personal friends of Argentine writer and poet Leopoldo Marechal
Leopoldo Marechal
Leopoldo Marechal was one of the most important Argentine writers of the twentieth century.- Biographical notes :...
, who dedicated him the Alegropeya of his Heptamerón series.
Under the guidance of Guillermo Thiele, Demaría published a translation of Heraclitus
Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom...
' Fragments in1957 for the Universidad Nacional del Litoral. This work was republished in 1972 with the illustrations of Uruguayan artist Lincoln Presno, whose 40 meter memorial monument to John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in the vast pampa region near Quemú Quemú, a town founded by the poet's grandparents, was built upon the poet's request.
Demaría's study of philosophy led him to the conviction that man's deepest conscience responds to sentiment and feeling rather than to ideas and rationality. His reflections on this aspect of human experience and his own personal quest for clarification resulted in his Treatise on Sentiment or Tratado del Sentimiento, published in 1970 by the Ediciones del Hombre Nuevo, founded among others by his friend Rafael Squirru
Rafael Squirru
Rafael Squirru , is an Argentine poet, lecturer, art critic and essayist.- Biographical notes :Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Squirru was educated at Saint Andrew's Scot School and at the Jesuit El Salvador Secondary School...
.
Among Demaría’s other works: Máximas para la Vida or Maxims for Life, a work in constant re-elaboration.
Regarding his poetry, it has been condensed under the common title of Pampa Roja, elaborated in three stages of his life. Editorial Dunken published the third and final part in 2007 under the name Tierra de Elegía, or Land of Elegy, a collection of love sonnets. The first two editions of Pampa Roja’s first part were illustrated by Argentine artist and personal friend Pérez Celis
Pérez Celis
Celis Pérez was an Argentine artist usually referred to as Pérez Celis. He earned international recognition for his paintings, sculptures, murals and engravings.-Life and work:...
.
External links
- Tierra de Elegía: http://sites.google.com/site/fernandodemariasonetos/Home/Tierra-de-Elegia
- Tratado del Sentimiento: http://sites.google.com/site/fernandodemariasonetos/Home/tratado-del-sentimiento