Manuel Murguía
Encyclopedia
Manuel Murguia was a Galician
journalist and historian who created the Real Academia Galega
. He was one of the main figures in Galician Rexurdimento movement. He is also remembered as Rosalía de Castro
's husband, publisher and main supporter.
, Galicia (Spain
). His father was a chemist.
Being at A Coruña, a child Manuel Murguía witnessed the liberal insurrection of locals against the central power on April 23, 1846. This happening ended with the execution of the Mártires de Carral (The Martirs of Carral). It all caused an important ideological impact on Murguía, who wrote about that later on in his article La Voz de Galicia (The Voice of Galicia).
Manuel Murguía studied philosophy, and pharmacy (as was his father's wish), at Santiago de Compostela
. However, Murguía had a great interest on literature and history, so he finally gave up his studies to work as a writer and researcher. He used to go to Liceo de la Juventud, the cultural center on Santiago, meeting other students and intellectual people, including Eduardo Pondal
, Aurelio Aguirre and Rosalía de Castro
.
On June 1, 1854, Murguía published his first work in Galician language
, Nena das Soidades (Girl of Loneliness). He then began working as a freelance writer in journals and magazines, getting a measure of success. With it, up-and-coming Murguía would publish other works like Mi madre Antonia (My mother, Antonia), Los Lirios Blancos (The White Irises) and El Ángel de la Muerte (Angel of Death). He would then become one of the literary promises of his time.
Murguía went to Madrid
, where he became friends with authors like Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
; he also began a romantic relationship with Rosalía de Castro, whom he married in Madrid on October 10, 1858. From the very beginning, Murguía encouraged de Castro's literary interests and the publishing of her works. Particularly, de Castro's work Cantares Gallegos will be considered the beginning of the Rexurdimento (Galician literature renaissance).
After getting a great success, Murguía left his creative job and began a full-time work on historical research and its popularization. He also tried to extend his own political ideas. This is considered a milestone on the Rexurdimento.
Once his first daughter was born, Murguía published La Primera Luz (The First Light), a book of school texts about history and geography. The Spanish Ministry of Promotion encouraged to use of this book to teach in Galicia schools.
Murguía published important works, including Diccionario de escritores gallegos (Dictionary of Galician writers) on 1862. He then moved to Lugo
on 1865, and then he published Historia de Galicia (History of Galicia).
He was named Chief of the Arquivo Xeral de Galicia (General Archives of Galicia) on 1870, and fifteen years later he became Cronista Xeral do Reino (Feature Writer of the Kingdom), all the while writing and publishing different works.
In 1890, Murguía became the co-editor of La Patria Gallega (Galicia Native Country), a journal which included the first keys of the Galician nationalism
.
When he was 72 years old, Murguía decided to create an Academy of the Galician Language. He shared his idea with other writers who met on Coruñan book store A Cova Céltica. This Galician Academy
became a reality on August 25, 1906. Murguía also wanted to create a dictionary of Galician language, as he felt Galician vocabulary was scarce; he even suggested that his work in Galician could not be greater because of the absence of this dictionary.
Murguía died on February 2, 1923 on A Coruña.
One hundred years after he published the book Cantares Gallegos, on 1963, the date was commemorated with the Día das Letras Galegas
(Galician Literature Day). Since then, May 17 would be dedicated to a different writer in Galician language every year. It was dedicated to Rosalía de Castro on its first installment on 1963. Afterwards, Murguía's work was recognized when the Día das Letras Galegas was dedicated to him on 2000.
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
journalist and historian who created the Real Academia Galega
Real Academia Galega
The Royal Galician Academy is an institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language; it promulgates norms of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary and works to promote the language. The Academy is based in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The current president is...
. He was one of the main figures in Galician Rexurdimento movement. He is also remembered as Rosalía de Castro
Rosalía de Castro
María Rosalía Rita de Castro , was a Galician romanticist writer and poet.Writing in the Galician language, after the Séculos Escuros , she became an important figure of the Galician romantic movement, known today as the Rexurdimento , along with Manuel Curros Enríquez and Eduardo Pondal...
's husband, publisher and main supporter.
Life
Manuel Murguía was born on May 17, 1833 in Arteixo, a place in A CoruñaA Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
, Galicia (Spain
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...
). His father was a chemist.
Being at A Coruña, a child Manuel Murguía witnessed the liberal insurrection of locals against the central power on April 23, 1846. This happening ended with the execution of the Mártires de Carral (The Martirs of Carral). It all caused an important ideological impact on Murguía, who wrote about that later on in his article La Voz de Galicia (The Voice of Galicia).
Manuel Murguía studied philosophy, and pharmacy (as was his father's wish), at Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. However, Murguía had a great interest on literature and history, so he finally gave up his studies to work as a writer and researcher. He used to go to Liceo de la Juventud, the cultural center on Santiago, meeting other students and intellectual people, including Eduardo Pondal
Eduardo Pondal
Eduardo María González-Pondal Abente was a Spanish poet, who wrote in both Spanish and GalicianOf Hidalgo origin Pondal was the youngest of a family of seven. From 1884 onwards he studied Latin in a school in Vilela de Nemiña which belonged to his cleric relative, Cristobal Lago...
, Aurelio Aguirre and Rosalía de Castro
Rosalía de Castro
María Rosalía Rita de Castro , was a Galician romanticist writer and poet.Writing in the Galician language, after the Séculos Escuros , she became an important figure of the Galician romantic movement, known today as the Rexurdimento , along with Manuel Curros Enríquez and Eduardo Pondal...
.
On June 1, 1854, Murguía published his first work in Galician language
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
, Nena das Soidades (Girl of Loneliness). He then began working as a freelance writer in journals and magazines, getting a measure of success. With it, up-and-coming Murguía would publish other works like Mi madre Antonia (My mother, Antonia), Los Lirios Blancos (The White Irises) and El Ángel de la Muerte (Angel of Death). He would then become one of the literary promises of his time.
Murguía went to 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 he became friends with authors like Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Gustavo Adolfo Domínguez Bastida, better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, was a Spanish post-romanticist writer of poetry and short stories, now considered one of the most important figures in Spanish literature. He adopted the alias of Bécquer as his brother Valeriano Bécquer, a painter, had...
; he also began a romantic relationship with Rosalía de Castro, whom he married in Madrid on October 10, 1858. From the very beginning, Murguía encouraged de Castro's literary interests and the publishing of her works. Particularly, de Castro's work Cantares Gallegos will be considered the beginning of the Rexurdimento (Galician literature renaissance).
After getting a great success, Murguía left his creative job and began a full-time work on historical research and its popularization. He also tried to extend his own political ideas. This is considered a milestone on the Rexurdimento.
Once his first daughter was born, Murguía published La Primera Luz (The First Light), a book of school texts about history and geography. The Spanish Ministry of Promotion encouraged to use of this book to teach in Galicia schools.
Murguía published important works, including Diccionario de escritores gallegos (Dictionary of Galician writers) on 1862. He then moved to Lugo
Lugo
Lugo is a city in northwestern Spain, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 97,635 in 2010, which makes is the fourth most populated city in Galicia.-Population:...
on 1865, and then he published Historia de Galicia (History of Galicia).
He was named Chief of the Arquivo Xeral de Galicia (General Archives of Galicia) on 1870, and fifteen years later he became Cronista Xeral do Reino (Feature Writer of the Kingdom), all the while writing and publishing different works.
In 1890, Murguía became the co-editor of La Patria Gallega (Galicia Native Country), a journal which included the first keys of the Galician nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
.
When he was 72 years old, Murguía decided to create an Academy of the Galician Language. He shared his idea with other writers who met on Coruñan book store A Cova Céltica. This Galician Academy
Real Academia Galega
The Royal Galician Academy is an institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language; it promulgates norms of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary and works to promote the language. The Academy is based in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The current president is...
became a reality on August 25, 1906. Murguía also wanted to create a dictionary of Galician language, as he felt Galician vocabulary was scarce; he even suggested that his work in Galician could not be greater because of the absence of this dictionary.
Murguía died on February 2, 1923 on A Coruña.
One hundred years after he published the book Cantares Gallegos, on 1963, the date was commemorated with the Día das Letras Galegas
Día das Letras Galegas
Galician Literature Day is a public holiday observed in Galicia, Spain. Introduced by the Royal Galician Academy in 1963 it is a celebration of the Galician language and its literature. This celebration has taken place on May 17 since 1963...
(Galician Literature Day). Since then, May 17 would be dedicated to a different writer in Galician language every year. It was dedicated to Rosalía de Castro on its first installment on 1963. Afterwards, Murguía's work was recognized when the Día das Letras Galegas was dedicated to him on 2000.
Books
- La primera luz, Vigo, Juan Compañel, 1860.
- Diccionario de escritores gallegos, Vigo, Juan Compañel, 1862.
- De las guerras de Galicia en el siglo XV y de su verdadero carácter, A Coruña, 1861.
- Historia de Galicia, T. I, Lugo, Soto Freire,1865, T. II, Lugo, Soto Freire, 1866, T. III, A Coruña, Libr. de A. Martínez Salazar, 1888, Tomo IV, A Coruña, Libr. de E. Carré Aldao, 1891, T.V, A Coruña, 1911.
- Memoria relativa al Archivo Regional de Galicia, A Coruña, 1871.
- Biografía del P. M. Fr. Benito Gerónimo Feijóo, Santiago, Est. Tip. de El Diario, 1876.
- El foro, Madrid, Libr. de Bailly Bailliere, 1882.
- El arte en Santiago durante el siglo XVIII y noticia de los artistas que florecieron en dicha ciudad y centuria, Madrid, Est. Tip. de Fernando Fé, 1884.
- Los Precursores, A Coruña, Latorre y Martínez Editores, Biblioteca Gallega, 1886.
- Galicia, Barcelona, Daniel Cortezo, 1888.
- El regionalismo gallego, La Habana, Imp. La Universal, 1889.
- En prosa, (Contén a novela El puñalito), A Coruña, 1895.
- Don Diego Gelmírez, A Coruña, Imprenta y Librería de Carré, 1898.
- Los trovadores gallegos, A Coruña, Imp. de Ferrer, 1905.
- Apuntes históricos de la provincia de Pontevedra, folletín de La Temporada, Mondariz, Imp. del Establecimiento, 1913.
- Politica y sociedad en Galicia, Madrid, Akal, Arealonga, 8, 1974, ed. de X. Alonso Montero
Tales
- Un can-can de Musard (tale), 1853.
- Un artista (tale), Madrid, 1853; co título de Ignotus in Los Precursores (1886).
- Desde el cielo (novel), Madrid, La Iberia, 1854; Vigo, Imp. de La Oliva, 1856; Madrid, Biblioteca de Escritores Gallegos, 1910.
- Luisa (tale), Madrid, 1855 e A Coruña, 1862.
- La Virgen de la Servilleta, (novel), Madrid, 1855.
- El regalo de boda (novel), La Iberia, Madrid, 1855.
- Mi madre Antonia, (novel), Vigo, La Oliva, 1856.
- Don Diego Gelmírez,(novel) Madrid, La Oliva, 1856.
- El ángel de la muerte , (novel), Madrid, La Crónica, 1857.
- La mujer de fuego (novel), Madrid, 1859.
Poetry
- "Nena d’as soledades" (poem), La Oliva, 27-2-1856.
- "Madrigal" (poem), La Oliva, 8-3-1856.
- "La flor y el aire" (poem), La Oliva, 19-3-1856.
- "A una paloma" (poem), La Oliva, 3-5-1856.
- "A las ruínas del Castillo de Altamira" (poem), La Oliva, 31-5-1856.
- "En un Álbum", (poem), La Oliva, 31-5-1856.
- "Al partir" (poem), Galicia (A Coruña), 1862, páx. 39.
- Three poems ("Madrigal", "Nena d’as soledades" and "Gloria") in anthology El Álbum de la Caridad, A Coruña, 1862.
- "Sueños dorados" (poem), en García Acuña (177) e antes no Álbum de El Miño.
- "Ildara de Courel", (poem), en García Acuña (177-178).
- "Soneto de Pardo de Cela", (poem), en García Acuña (179).
- "Los versos fueron mi ilusión primera" (1903 poem), en Naya (1950: 104).