Agustín Blánquez Fraile facts for kids

Agustín Blánquez Fraile (born in Valladolid, Spain, in 1883 – died in Barcelona, Spain, in 1965) was a very smart Spanish person. He was a scholar, meaning he studied a lot. He was also a Latin expert, a historian, and a librarian. He is best known for creating a famous Latin-Spanish dictionary.

Early Life and Studies

Agustín Blánquez Fraile went to the Central University of Madrid. There, he earned several degrees. He studied philosophy and literature, and he also got a law degree. He even earned a Ph.D. in philosophy.

He was very interested in languages. He did special research on the Leonese dialect, which is a way of speaking in parts of Spain. In 1907, he published his research paper called "Límites del dialecto leonés".

Working as a Librarian and Archivist

In 1911, Agustín Blánquez trained to become a professional archivist, librarian, and archaeologist. These are people who take care of old documents, books, and historical items.

He worked in different cities in Spain. First, he worked in Palencia, then in Valencia. Later, he moved to Barcelona. In Barcelona, he became the Head of Archives, Libraries, and Museums. He also helped restore old buildings and items in Girona.

While in Girona, he helped reopen the Museo de San Pedro de Galligants. He also managed the Ampurias Museum, which is a museum about ancient history.

Leading Libraries and Teaching

In 1943, Blánquez Fraile became the director of the University Library of Barcelona. He was very busy there. He organized many interesting exhibitions. These included shows about "Printed Books in Barcelona" and "Books of Mysticism." He also started publishing catalogs for the library's collection.

He also became a professor at the School of Librarians at the University of Barcelona. He taught Latin language and literature until 1962. He was also an honorary professor of Philosophy and Literature. For a time, he was even the director of the Archive of the Audiencia Territorial of Barcelona.

His Famous Dictionaries

Agustín Blánquez Fraile is most famous for his Diccionario Latino - Español. This is a large Latin-Spanish dictionary that he published in 1946. Many people consider it his best work. It was published by Editorial Sopena for many years.

After he passed away, his Spanish-Latin dictionary was published in 1966. In 2012, a new version of his Latin-Spanish dictionary was released. It combined both volumes into one big book with 1,744 pages!

Works

Here are some of the books and translations Agustín Blánquez Fraile worked on:

• Diccionario Latino Español (Latin-Spanish Dictionary) – published in 1946, with new editions later.
• Diccionario Español - Latino (Spanish-Latin Dictionary) – published in 1966.
• Diccionario Manual Latino-Español y Español-Latino (A smaller Latin-Spanish and Spanish-Latin Dictionary) – published in 1958.
• Geografía Universal (Universal Geography) – published in 1931.
• Geografía de España (Geography of Spain) – published in 1934.
• Elementos de Gramática Latina (Elements of Latin Grammar) – published in 1936.
• Límites del dialecto leonés occidental (Limits of the Western Leonese Dialect) – his research paper from 1907.
• Historia de España (History of Spain) – published in 1931.
• He also translated many important ancient texts from Latin and Greek into Spanish. These include works by famous writers like Cicerón (Cicero), Sófocles (Sophocles), Vitrubio Polión (Vitruvius Pollio), and Tucídides (Thucydides).

See also

In Spanish: Agustín Blánquez Fraile para niños