Serafin Baroja
Encyclopedia
Serafín Baroja was a Basque
writer and mining engineer who wrote popular Basque
poetry and lyrics. He was the father of a trio of illustrious children who left a deep mark on the art and literature of twentieth century Spain
. Ricardo Baroja
, painter, engraver and writer; Pío Baroja
novelist and essayist who ranks as one of the major writers of Spain's Generation of 98; and Carmen Baroja
writer, ethnologist and co-founder of the Lyceum Women's Club in Madrid
.
. He studied mine engineering at the Polytechnic School of Engineering in Madrid
where he befriended the politician, Pascual Madoz
. He married Carmen Nessi y Goñi (1849–1935) in 1866 who was of Italian
and Basque
descent. After completing his studies he went down to the ancient copper mines of Minas de Río Tinto
in Huelva
as chief engineer in 1868. Dario, his first son, was born in 1869, followed by Ricardo
on January 12, 1870. Disillusioned when he saw that the mines were going to be sold to a group of English
investors, (later becoming the British
-Australia
n consortium the Rio Tinto Group
), he moved his family to San Sebastián
and devoted himself to writing novels, operas and operettas. Their third son, Pío
, was born on December 28, 1872.
From January to February, 1876 he was a correspondent on the front of the Third Carlist War
for the newspaper, El Tiempo. Three years after the war ended Serafín created the newspaper, El Urumea (1879–1895), devoted to "news, not politics." Run by his brother Ricardo, the first issue came out on May 1, 1879. That year his mining expertise took the family to Madrid
where he was assigned to lecture at the Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico (Institute of Geography and Statistics). Two years later he was chief mining engineer in Pamplona
, where, in 1883, his daughter Carmen
was born. In Pamplona
he founded Bai, Juana, Bai, a bilingual weekly periodical and the first in Basque
/Castilian
which lasted only six issues. The next year he wrote the libretto for the first Basque
opera, Pudente, a story set in the mines of Rio Tinto at the time of Trajan
. Composed by José Antonio Santesteban, it premiered in San Sebastián
in 1884. He also wrote the lyrics for the March of San Sebastián composed by Raimundo Sarriegui which is performed in the Tamborrada
festival every January 20, the Feast of San Sebastián
.
In 1886, when he went to the mines in Biscay
he sent his family to stay with his sister-in-law, Juana Nessi and her husband Matías Lacasa, who owned a Viennese café
and bakery in Madrid
named Viena Capellanes which today is a popular café and catering service.http://www.sightseeing-madrid.com/quality-fast-food-viena-capellanes.php In 1893 he took his family with him to the mines at Burjassot
near Valencia, returning the next year to Madrid
to help Juana Nessi, whose husband had just died. Serafín attempted to resurrect his Basque
/Castilian
periodical, Bai, Juana, Bai, by selling copies at the bakery. He also collaborated on the magazine El Eco de San Sebastián (The Echo of San Sebastián) and the republican newspaper La Voz de Guipúzcoa which in 1895 published the serial From Chamberí to Madrid, 100 meters in 25 days. In 1986 his frontline reporting for El Tiempo was published as Crónica de la guerra Carlista. Enero y Febrero de 1876 (Chronicle of the Carlist War: January and February 1876) with a prologue by his grandson, Julio Caro Baroja
.
His wife, Carmen, always tried to build up a seriousness of purpose in her husband and in contrast he was known as a great joker with an enthusiasm for people and life. His easygoing attitude and love for the arts and sciences had an influence on his children's careers; Ricardo
left his career as an archivist for the bohemian
life of the artist; and Pío
the practice of medicine to become a novelist. Carmen
, as a woman, had to rebel against the traditions that defined her gender to become a writer, ethnologist and co-founder of the first feminist group in Spain
.
In 1875 he had coined the term Jai alai
(merry festival) for the game of Basque pelota. He died on July 12, 1912 in Bera and is buried with his wife, Carmen. His grandfather, Rafael Martinez Baroja (b.1770), was the printer of the newspaper, La Papeleta de Oyarzun (The Ballot of Oiartzun
) during the Peninsular War
against Napoleon I
. The Parque Serafín Baroja in San Sebastián
is named after him.
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
writer and mining engineer who wrote popular Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
poetry and lyrics. He was the father of a trio of illustrious children who left a deep mark on the art and literature of twentieth century 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...
. Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque painter, writer and engraver. As an engraver, he is considered the successor of Goya. He was the brother of the novelist Pío Baroja and writer/ethnologist Carmen Baroja...
, painter, engraver and writer; Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98. He was a member of an illustrious family, his brother Ricardo was a painter, writer and engraver, and his nephew Julio Caro Baroja, son of his younger sister Carmen, was a well known...
novelist and essayist who ranks as one of the major writers of Spain's Generation of 98; and Carmen Baroja
Carmen Baroja
Carmen Baroja Nessi , Spanish writer and ethnologist who wrote under the pseudonym Vera Alzate. She was the sister of the writers Ricardo and Pio Baroja, and mother of the anthropologist Julio Caro Baroja and film director Pio Caro Baroja.-Early life:Carmen was the youngest child of Serafin Baroja,...
writer, ethnologist and co-founder of the Lyceum Women's Club 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...
.
Life
The son of Pío Baroja Zornotza, publisher of the newspaper El Liberal Guipuzcoano during the Trienio Liberal, Serafín was born in San SebastiánSan Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
. He studied mine engineering at the Polytechnic School of Engineering 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 he befriended the politician, Pascual Madoz
Pascual Madoz
Pascual Madoz , Spanish politician, statistician, was born at Pamplona.In early life he was settled in Barcelona, as a writer and journalist. He envisioned the construction of the Vielha tunnel. He joined the Progresista party formed during the First Carlist War, 1833-40...
. He married Carmen Nessi y Goñi (1849–1935) in 1866 who was of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
and Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
descent. After completing his studies he went down to the ancient copper mines of Minas de Río Tinto
Rio Tinto
- Businesses :* Rio Tinto Group, a British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne* Rio Tinto Alcan, a Canadian aluminum mining and production company headquartered in Montreal-Portugal:...
in Huelva
Huelva
Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The...
as chief engineer in 1868. Dario, his first son, was born in 1869, followed by Ricardo
Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque painter, writer and engraver. As an engraver, he is considered the successor of Goya. He was the brother of the novelist Pío Baroja and writer/ethnologist Carmen Baroja...
on January 12, 1870. Disillusioned when he saw that the mines were going to be sold to a group of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
investors, (later becoming the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n consortium the Rio Tinto Group
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
), he moved his family to San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
and devoted himself to writing novels, operas and operettas. Their third son, Pío
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98. He was a member of an illustrious family, his brother Ricardo was a painter, writer and engraver, and his nephew Julio Caro Baroja, son of his younger sister Carmen, was a well known...
, was born on December 28, 1872.
From January to February, 1876 he was a correspondent on the front of the Third Carlist War
Third Carlist War
The Third Carlist War was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is very often referred to as the Second Carlist War, as the 'second' had been small in scale and almost trivial in political consequence....
for the newspaper, El Tiempo. Three years after the war ended Serafín created the newspaper, El Urumea (1879–1895), devoted to "news, not politics." Run by his brother Ricardo, the first issue came out on May 1, 1879. That year his mining expertise took the family 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 was assigned to lecture at the Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico (Institute of Geography and Statistics). Two years later he was chief mining engineer in Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, where, in 1883, his daughter Carmen
Carmen Baroja
Carmen Baroja Nessi , Spanish writer and ethnologist who wrote under the pseudonym Vera Alzate. She was the sister of the writers Ricardo and Pio Baroja, and mother of the anthropologist Julio Caro Baroja and film director Pio Caro Baroja.-Early life:Carmen was the youngest child of Serafin Baroja,...
was born. In Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
he founded Bai, Juana, Bai, a bilingual weekly periodical and the first in Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
/Castilian
Castilian Spanish
Castilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but its exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of European Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
which lasted only six issues. The next year he wrote the libretto for the first Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
opera, Pudente, a story set in the mines of Rio Tinto at the time of Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
. Composed by José Antonio Santesteban, it premiered in San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
in 1884. He also wrote the lyrics for the March of San Sebastián composed by Raimundo Sarriegui which is performed in the Tamborrada
Tamborrada
Every year on 20 January , the people of the city of San Sebastián, celebrate a festival known as the "Tamborrada". At midnight, in the Konstituzio Plaza in the "Alde Zaharra/Parte Vieja" , the mayor raises the flag of San Sebastián. For 24 hours, day and night, the entire city is awash with the...
festival every January 20, the Feast of San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
.
In 1886, when he went to the mines in Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
he sent his family to stay with his sister-in-law, Juana Nessi and her husband Matías Lacasa, who owned a Viennese café
Viennese café
The Viennese Coffee House is a typical institution of Vienna that played an important part shaping Viennese culture.Since October 2011 the "Viennese Coffee House Culture" is listed as "Intangible Cultural Heritage" in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural...
and bakery 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...
named Viena Capellanes which today is a popular café and catering service.http://www.sightseeing-madrid.com/quality-fast-food-viena-capellanes.php In 1893 he took his family with him to the mines at Burjassot
Burjassot
Burjassot is a municipality in the comarca of Horta Nord in the Valencian Community, Spain. The footballer José Carlos Cerveró was born there on 11th December 1979....
near Valencia, returning the next year 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...
to help Juana Nessi, whose husband had just died. Serafín attempted to resurrect his Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
/Castilian
Castilian Spanish
Castilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but its exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of European Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
periodical, Bai, Juana, Bai, by selling copies at the bakery. He also collaborated on the magazine El Eco de San Sebastián (The Echo of San Sebastián) and the republican newspaper La Voz de Guipúzcoa which in 1895 published the serial From Chamberí to Madrid, 100 meters in 25 days. In 1986 his frontline reporting for El Tiempo was published as Crónica de la guerra Carlista. Enero y Febrero de 1876 (Chronicle of the Carlist War: January and February 1876) with a prologue by his grandson, Julio Caro Baroja
Julio Caro Baroja
Julio Caro Baroja was a world-renowned Basque Spanish anthropologist, historian, linguist and essayist. He was known for his special interest in Basque culture, history and society. Of Basque ancestry, he was the nephew of the renowned writer Pio Baroja; and his brother, painter, writer and...
.
His wife, Carmen, always tried to build up a seriousness of purpose in her husband and in contrast he was known as a great joker with an enthusiasm for people and life. His easygoing attitude and love for the arts and sciences had an influence on his children's careers; Ricardo
Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque painter, writer and engraver. As an engraver, he is considered the successor of Goya. He was the brother of the novelist Pío Baroja and writer/ethnologist Carmen Baroja...
left his career as an archivist for the bohemian
Bohemian style
In modern usage, the term "Bohemian" is applied to people who live unconventional, usually artistic, lives. The adherents of the "Bloomsbury Group", which formed around the Stephen sisters, Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf in the early 20th century, are among the best-known examples...
life of the artist; and Pío
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98. He was a member of an illustrious family, his brother Ricardo was a painter, writer and engraver, and his nephew Julio Caro Baroja, son of his younger sister Carmen, was a well known...
the practice of medicine to become a novelist. Carmen
Carmen Baroja
Carmen Baroja Nessi , Spanish writer and ethnologist who wrote under the pseudonym Vera Alzate. She was the sister of the writers Ricardo and Pio Baroja, and mother of the anthropologist Julio Caro Baroja and film director Pio Caro Baroja.-Early life:Carmen was the youngest child of Serafin Baroja,...
, as a woman, had to rebel against the traditions that defined her gender to become a writer, ethnologist and co-founder of the first feminist group in 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...
.
In 1875 he had coined the term Jai alai
Jai alai
Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...
(merry festival) for the game of Basque pelota. He died on July 12, 1912 in Bera and is buried with his wife, Carmen. His grandfather, Rafael Martinez Baroja (b.1770), was the printer of the newspaper, La Papeleta de Oyarzun (The Ballot of Oiartzun
Oiartzun
Oiartzun is a town of the Basque Country located in the province of Gipuzkoa lying at the foot of the massif Aiako Harria.The name traces back to the Oiasso or Oiarso of the Roman period, an important town dedicated to mining and marine activities...
) during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
against Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. The Parque Serafín Baroja in San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
is named after him.
External links
- Zubitegia Literaturaren
- Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia
- Viena Capellanes