Paul Groussac
Encyclopedia
Paul-François Groussac was a French
-born Argentine
writer, literary critic
, historian, and librarian. He was born in Toulouse
to Catherine Deval and Pierre Groussac, the scion of an old Languedoc
ian family.
in 1865, but chose not to pursue a naval career. The next year he moved to Buenos Aires
, which would remain his home for the rest of his life. Over the next seventeen years, he worked as a professor, directed the Escuela Normal
de Tucumán, and served as inspector general of the national colleges. In 1883 he made a trip to France. After his return, in 1885, he was designated inspector of education and head of the Biblioteca Nacional
. He would hold this position until his death forty-four years later.
His most notable works are La Biblioteca (1896) and Anales de la Biblioteca (1900), which were anthologies of critical essays, historical accounts of the library, and documents pertaining to the history of the Río de la Plata
region. As director of the literary journal SudAmérica, Groussac became a central figure in the Argentine literary world. His works, including Studies of Argentine History, Historical Essay on Tucumán, and Mendoza and Garay, are characterized by their factual richness, vivid depiction of characters and their environment, and their lucid and conscientious style. Groussac's other main works include Forbidden Fruit, Argentine Tales, The Divisa Punzó, and Literary Criticism and the Falkland Islands.
Groussac's posthumous reputation was bolstered by his frequent mention in the critical essays of fellow Argentine librarian Jorge Luis Borges
, who also wrote his obituary
. In his autobiographical essay La Ceguera ("Blindness"), Borges spoke of Groussac's influence on Alfonso Reyes
, whom he held in great esteem: "Alfonso Reyes, the greatest prose writer in the Spanish language of any age, said to me: 'Groussac, who was French, taught me how to write in Spanish'". (Siete Noches. Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1980, p. 156.) As a critic, he was notorious for his ruthless and intractable temperament, and for his withering mordancy. Borges analyzed some of Groussac's literary insults in his 1933 Sur essay Arte de injuriar (translated as "The Art of Verbal Abuse").
Groussac and Borges shared a few biographical parallels as well: between 1955 and 1973, Borges occupied Groussac's old position at the Biblioteca Nacional. Both men also suffered from poor eyesight, and both were completely blind
by the end of their respective tenures as chief librarian.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
writer, literary critic
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
, historian, and librarian. He was born in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
to Catherine Deval and Pierre Groussac, the scion of an old Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
ian family.
Biography
As a young man, Groussac studied classics in his native Toulouse. He was admitted to the École NavaleÉcole Navale
The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy.The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe...
in 1865, but chose not to pursue a naval career. The next year he moved 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...
, which would remain his home for the rest of his life. Over the next seventeen years, he worked as a professor, directed the Escuela Normal
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
de Tucumán, and served as inspector general of the national colleges. In 1883 he made a trip to France. After his return, in 1885, he was designated inspector of education and head of the Biblioteca Nacional
Biblioteca Nacional de la República Argentina
The National Library of the Argentine Republic is the largest library in Argentina and one of the most important in the Americas...
. He would hold this position until his death forty-four years later.
His most notable works are La Biblioteca (1896) and Anales de la Biblioteca (1900), which were anthologies of critical essays, historical accounts of the library, and documents pertaining to the history of the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
region. As director of the literary journal SudAmérica, Groussac became a central figure in the Argentine literary world. His works, including Studies of Argentine History, Historical Essay on Tucumán, and Mendoza and Garay, are characterized by their factual richness, vivid depiction of characters and their environment, and their lucid and conscientious style. Groussac's other main works include Forbidden Fruit, Argentine Tales, The Divisa Punzó, and Literary Criticism and the Falkland Islands.
Groussac's posthumous reputation was bolstered by his frequent mention in the critical essays of fellow Argentine librarian Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
, who also wrote his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
. In his autobiographical essay La Ceguera ("Blindness"), Borges spoke of Groussac's influence on 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...
, whom he held in great esteem: "Alfonso Reyes, the greatest prose writer in the Spanish language of any age, said to me: 'Groussac, who was French, taught me how to write in Spanish'". (Siete Noches. Fondo de Cultura Economica, Mexico, 1980, p. 156.) As a critic, he was notorious for his ruthless and intractable temperament, and for his withering mordancy. Borges analyzed some of Groussac's literary insults in his 1933 Sur essay Arte de injuriar (translated as "The Art of Verbal Abuse").
Groussac and Borges shared a few biographical parallels as well: between 1955 and 1973, Borges occupied Groussac's old position at the Biblioteca Nacional. Both men also suffered from poor eyesight, and both were completely blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
by the end of their respective tenures as chief librarian.
External links
- Works by or about Paul Groussac at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) Bruno, Paula, "Paul Groussac en la cultura", en Criterio, N ° 2321 - Noviembre 2006 - Año 79 Bruno, Paula, “Paul Groussac. Un articulador cultural en el pasaje del siglo XIX al XX argentino”, en Araucaria. Revista Iberoamericana de Filosofía, Política y Humanidades, Universidad de Sevilla, a. 8 núm. 15, primer semestre de 2006, pp. 176-186 Demarchi, Rogelio, "¿Estratega o piola? Un atractivo ensayo sobre el siempre atractivo Groussac""Groussac en Letras Libres" Brief biography Another brief biography