Constancio C. Vigil facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Constancio Carlos Vigil
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| Born | September 4, 1876 |
| Died | September 24, 1954 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | Uruguayan and Argentine |
Constancio Carlos Vigil (born September 4, 1876 – died September 24, 1954) was a famous writer and publisher from Uruguay and Argentina. He created many popular magazines and children's books that are still well-known today.
Contents
Constancio Vigil's Early Life
Constancio Vigil was born in Rocha, Uruguay, in 1876. When he was young, his family moved to Montevideo, the capital city, because of political disagreements. Constancio studied at the Universidad de la República. He started his career writing poetry and then became a journalist for a newspaper called El Nacional. In 1901, he started his very first magazine, Alborada, which means "Dawn."
Moving to Argentina
Constancio became the editor of a newspaper called La Prensa. But in 1903, this newspaper was closed down due to political issues. This led Constancio to move to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to start a new life.
Building a Publishing Empire
In Argentina, Constancio Vigil continued his work as a journalist and publisher. Between 1904 and 1911, he created three new magazines:
- Pulgarcito (meaning "Tom Thumb"), a weekly magazine for children.
- Germinal.
- Mundo Argentino (meaning "Argentine World"), a popular magazine for everyone.
Mundo Argentino was a big success! It had lots of pictures, advertisements, and coupons. By 1912, over 36,000 copies were sold every week. Constancio sold this successful magazine in 1917 when it was selling 118,000 copies a week.
Founding Editorial Atlántida
With the money from selling Mundo Argentino, Constancio Vigil started his own publishing company called Editorial Atlántida. This company became very important in the Spanish-speaking world.
Through Atlántida, he launched several new and very popular magazines:
- Atlántida (1918), a magazine with news and comments.
- El Gráfico (1919), a sports magazine.
- Billiken (1919), a famous children's magazine.
- Para Tí (1922), a magazine for women, meaning "For You."
Amazingly, El Gráfico, Billiken, and Para Tí are still published today, making them some of the oldest magazines in Argentina!
Constancio Vigil's Books
Besides magazines, Constancio Vigil also wrote many best-selling children's books through Editorial Atlántida. He wrote a total of 134 books, and 50 of them were for children! Some of his well-known children's titles include:
- El Erial ("The Wild Field")
- El Mono Relojero ("The Monkey Repairs Watches")
- ¡Upa!
- Hormiguita Viajera ("Traveling Ant")
He also wrote books for adults, such as:
- Miseria artificial ("Artificial Misery," 1915)
- Las verdades ocultas ("Hidden Truths," 1927)
- Cartas a gente menuda ("Letters to Young People," 1927)
- Amar es vivir ("To Love is to Live," 1941)
- La educación del hijo ("Rearing Your Child," 1941)
Helping Others and His Ideas
Constancio Vigil cared about helping people, especially children. During the Great Depression, which caused many problems in Argentina, he used his magazines to help. He started "Billiken Committees," where groups of schoolchildren, guided by the Billiken magazine, collected food and money for people in need. More than 40,000 children joined these groups!
He also donated reading materials to schools. Because of his efforts, over the years, 3,000 schools, auditoriums, and libraries in Argentina were named after him. In 1934, he was even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by many newspapers in Latin America. He also received an award from Pope Pius XII, called the Papal Lateran Cross.
Constancio Vigil had some very modern ideas for his time, especially about women and education. He wrote in his magazines that:
- Women are important for a strong democracy and their education is key for a good country.
- It's important for artists to be able to live well, not just wealthy business people.
- Women are better suited for politics because they are good at organizing and improving life.
Constancio Carlos Vigil passed away in 1954 in Buenos Aires at the age of 78. He was still working as an editor when he died. One of his famous sayings was: One should stay far from those who live off others' patriotism.
See also
In Spanish: Constancio C. Vigil para niños
