Raimundo Lida
Encyclopedia
Raimundo Lida was an Argentine philologist, philosopher of language, literary critic and essayist. He specialised in Romance
philology, the literature of the Spanish Golden Age
and modernist literature
. He taught at Harvard University
from 1953, where he was chair of the department of Romance Languages. The second of three children, his siblings were the haematologist Emilio Lida and María Rosa Lida de Malkiel
, also a philologist.
, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Ukraine). His parents took the family to Buenos Aires
when he was a few months old. The family spoke Yiddish as a first language, but the children became assimilated. There he grew up and received a wholly secular education. His older brother Emilio became a hematologist and his younger sister Maria Rosa Lida also became a philologist.
In 1930 Lida became an Argentine citizen, before studying at the Colegio Nacional Manuel Belgrano and in the Department of Philosophy and Literature at the University of Buenos Aires
. He graduated in 1931. His interest in philosophy was influenced by Alejandro Korn
and Francisco Romero
. In 1943 he gained his doctorate at the University of Buenos Aires
with a dissertation on aesthetics and language in Santillana
.
In 1947, to escape the conditions under Juan Peron
, he took his family into exile in Mexico. He was invited by Alfonso Reyes
to the College of Mexico, where he founded the New Review of Spanish Philology and participated in the Center for Linguistics and Literary Studies.
In 1953, Lida succeeded his former professor Alfredo Alonso, who had been teaching at Harvard University since 1946. Lida became chair of the department of Romance Languages. In addition to his own work, he published translations in Spanish of a range of scientific, philosophical and literary works, by such authors as Moritz Geiger
, Karl Vossler
, Helmut Hatzfeld, George Santayana
, W. Dilthey, C. G. Jung and Leo Spitzer
.
In 1958 he became a naturalized US citizen.
He married a second time, to Denah Levy (1923–2007), a Spanish scholar at Brandeis University
. She wrote important works on B. Pérez Galdós and a collection of Sephardic proverbs.
Lida died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1979.
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
philology, the literature of the Spanish Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
and modernist literature
Modernist literature
Modernist literature is sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms...
. He taught at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1953, where he was chair of the department of Romance Languages. The second of three children, his siblings were the haematologist Emilio Lida and María Rosa Lida de Malkiel
María Rosa Lida de Malkiel
María Rosa Lida de Malkiel, born Maria Rosa Lida , was an Argentine philologist. Notable as an Hispanist medievalist, she came to the United States on a Rockefeller Foundation program of study...
, also a philologist.
Life
Lida was born to a Polish Jewish family in LembergLviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Ukraine). His parents took the family to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
when he was a few months old. The family spoke Yiddish as a first language, but the children became assimilated. There he grew up and received a wholly secular education. His older brother Emilio became a hematologist and his younger sister Maria Rosa Lida also became a philologist.
In 1930 Lida became an Argentine citizen, before studying at the Colegio Nacional Manuel Belgrano and in the Department of Philosophy and Literature 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...
. He graduated in 1931. His interest in philosophy was influenced by Alejandro Korn
Alejandro Korn
Alejandro Korn was an Argentine physician, psychiatrist, philosopher, reformist and politician. For eighteen years, he was the director of the psychiaty hospital in Melchor Romero , named as the city. He was the first university official in Latin America to be elected thanks to the student’s vote...
and Francisco Romero
Francisco Romero (philosopher)
Francisco Romero was a Latin American philosopher, considered a leader in the philosopher movement in the Latin American countries, especially in Argentina....
. In 1943 he gained his doctorate 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...
with a dissertation on aesthetics and language in Santillana
Santillana
Santillana may refer to:*Santillana del Mar, a town in Spain*Carlos Alonso González, nicknamed Santillana, a Spanish footballer*Grupo Santillana, a Spanish publisher owned by PRISA...
.
In 1947, to escape the conditions under Juan Peron
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
, he took his family into exile in Mexico. He was invited by Alfonso Reyes
Alfonso Reyes
Alfonso Reyes Ochoa was a Mexican writer, philosopher and diplomat.-Early life:Alfonso Reyes parents were Bernardo Reyes and Aurelia Ochoa...
to the College of Mexico, where he founded the New Review of Spanish Philology and participated in the Center for Linguistics and Literary Studies.
In 1953, Lida succeeded his former professor Alfredo Alonso, who had been teaching at Harvard University since 1946. Lida became chair of the department of Romance Languages. In addition to his own work, he published translations in Spanish of a range of scientific, philosophical and literary works, by such authors as Moritz Geiger
Moritz Geiger
Moritz Geiger was a German philosopher and a disciple of Edmund Husserl. Beside phenomenology, he dedicated himself to psychology, epistemology and aesthetics.- Life :...
, Karl Vossler
Karl Vossler
Karl Vossler was a German linguist and scholar, and a leading Romanist. Vossler was known for his interest in Italian thought, and as a follower of Benedetto Croce. He declared his support of the German military by signing the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three in 1914.-Notes:...
, Helmut Hatzfeld, George Santayana
George Santayana
George Santayana was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters...
, W. Dilthey, C. G. Jung and Leo Spitzer
Leo Spitzer
Leo Spitzer was an Austrian Romanist and Hispanist, and an influential and prolific literary critic. He was known for his emphasis on stylistics....
.
In 1958 he became a naturalized US citizen.
Marriage and family
Lida married Leonor García (1908–1998) soon after completing his doctorate. They had two children: Fernando (b. 1936) and Clara (b. 1941), both born in Buenos Aires. They divorced after moving to the United States.He married a second time, to Denah Levy (1923–2007), a Spanish scholar at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
. She wrote important works on B. Pérez Galdós and a collection of Sephardic proverbs.
Lida died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
in 1979.
Legacy and honors
- 1939 and 1960, Guggenheim fellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s - 1954, honorary MA by Harvard University
- 1970, elected to the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- 1975, elected to the Academia Argentina de Letras
Works
- Introducción a la estilística romance, Buenos Aires, 1932.
- With Amado Alonso, El impresionismo en el lenguaje, Buenos Aires, 1936.
- El concepto lingüístico del impresionismo, Buenos Aires, 1936.
- With Amado Alonso, El español en Chile, Buenos Aires, 1940.
- Belleza, arte y poesía en la estética de Santayana, Tucumán, 1943.
- Letras hispánicas, México, 1958 [reed.: 1981].
- Condición del poeta, Lima, 1961.
- Prosas de Quevedo, Barcelona,1980.
- Rubén Darío. Modernismo, Caracas, 1984.
- Estudios Hispánicos, México, 1988.