Emilio García Gómez facts for kids

Emilio García Gómez (born June 4, 1905 – died May 31, 1995) was a famous Spanish expert in Arabic language and culture. He was also a historian who studied literature and a critic. He was very good at poetry, which helped him make beautiful translations from Arabic texts. He was even given the special title of the 1st Count of Alixares.

Life of Emilio García Gómez

Coat of Arms of the 1st Count of Alixares

Emilio García Gómez first studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid. But then he discovered his passion for Arabic. He decided to change his career path after taking Arabic classes. His teachers, Professor Miguel Asín Palacios and Julián Ribera y Tarragó, guided him.

He received a scholarship to study in Cairo, Egypt. There, he learned from famous scholars like Professor Ahmad Zaki Pasha and writer Taha Husayn. His special research paper, called a doctoral thesis, was about the legend of Alexander the Great in North Africa. This paper won him the Fastenrath Prize. In 1930, he became a professor of Arabic at the University of Granada. He taught there until he moved back to Madrid in 1944.

While living in Granada, Emilio García Gómez made friends with two very famous artists. One was Manuel de Falla, a classical music composer. The other was Federico García Lorca, a well-known poet. Both of them loved Flamenco music and dance. García Gómez's translations of Arabic poetry even inspired García Lorca. Lorca wrote his poem collection Diván de Tamarit because of them. García Gómez noted that Lorca's work honored Arabic poetry in a new, modern way.

He visited Egypt again in 1947. The next year, 1948, he spent in Damascus, Syria. He was given a special honor there: he was appointed to the Arabic Academy. This was a big deal for someone from a Western country. In 1951, he gave lectures at the University of Cairo during its 25th anniversary celebrations.

Later in his career, Emilio García Gómez became a Spanish Ambassador. He represented Spain in several Middle Eastern countries. These included Iraq (in Baghdad), Lebanon (in Beirut), and Turkey (in Ankara). He also served as ambassador to Afghanistan. He held these important roles from 1958 to 1969.

People greatly admired Emilio García Gómez throughout his life. He received many important awards for his academic and literary work. He lived to be 90 years old. On October 7, 1994, King Juan Carlos I gave him a special noble title. He became the conde de los Alixares, which means Count of Alixares. Emilio García Gómez passed away in 1995. Since he did not have any children, his noble title ended with him.

Emilio García Gómez's Works and Contributions

A big part of Emilio García Gómez's work was studying Arabic poetry. He acted as a literary historian and a critic. He was also a skilled translator. As a Spanish Arabist, he helped people understand Muslim culture in general. A. J. Arberry, another scholar, praised his "wide scholarship and literary judgement." He said Gómez's work greatly helped Islamic studies.

Over many years, Gómez developed a theory about a special type of Arabic poem. This poem style is called muwashshahat. It is a popular type of strophic verse, which means it has stanzas that are often sung. He believed it was connected to the mozarabic jarchas poetic form.

His many translations of Arabic poetry were very popular. Both the general public and many Spanish poets loved them. This included Federico García Lorca and artists like Manuel de Falla. One important translation was of Ibn Said al-Maghribi's 1243 poetry collection. It was called Pennants of the Champions. He also translated and wrote about the Andalusian poet Ibn Hazm (who lived from 994 to 1064). García Gómez also published a collection of his essays. It was called Silla del Moro y nuevas escenas andaluzas. This book shared his experiences from living in Granada in the 1930s.

Emilio García Gómez also helped his former teachers. He edited shorter, easier-to-read versions of important books by Julián Ribera y Tarragó and Miguel Asín Palacios. Later, he and Professor Rafael Lapesa wrote several articles about their teacher, Miguel Asín Palacios.

After his travels in the Middle East in the late 1940s and early 1950s, he published a translation. It was of the Egyptian writer Taha Husayn's autobiography, Al-Ayyam. Gómez titled his translation Los Días. In 1955, he translated another modern Arabic book. This one was about a rural prosecutor in Egypt.

Even though his main work was on Arabic poetry, he also looked at social issues. He wanted to understand the Islamic presence in medieval Spain. García Gómez worked with French historian Évariste Lévi-Provençal. They edited and translated an old story written in medieval Córdoba. This story was from when Caliph 'Abd al-Rahman III ruled. He also translated Lévi-Provençal's famous history of Muslim Spain into Spanish. For the first volume, he wrote an introduction. In it, he talked about how important the Muslim period was in Spanish history.

In his later years, García Gómez focused on the Alhambra. This is a beautiful old palace in Granada. It was once the home and government center for Muslim rulers. The Islamic presence lasted longest in Granada. Gómez studied the literary events and stories connected to this amazing place.

Selected Publications

• Un texto árabe occidental de la leyenda de Alejandro (Madrid 1929). This book won the Fastenrath Award.
• Qasidas de Andalucía, puestas en verso castellano (Madrid 1940).
• Cinco poetas musulmanes (Madrid 1945).
• El collar de la poloma, tratado sobre el amor y los amantes de Ibn Hazm de Cordoba (Madrid 1952). This book included a special introduction by José Ortega y Gasset.
• Poesía arábigoandaluza, breve síntesis histórica (Madrid 1952).
• Silla del moro y nuevas escenas andaluzas (Madrid 1948).
• Las jarchas romances de la serie árabe en su marco (Madrid 1965).
• Poemas árabes en los muros y fuentes de la Alhambra (Madrid 1985).
• Poesías / Ibn Al-Zaqqāq ; edición y traducción en verso [del árabe] (Madrid 1986).
• Foco de antigua luz sobre la Alhambra (Madrid 1988).
• Una crónica anónima de 'Abd al-Rahman III al-Nasir (Madrid-Granada 1950), written with Évariste Lévi-Provençal.
• En el centario del nacimiento de don Miguel Asín (Madrid: CSIC 1969), written with Rafael Lapesa.

See also

In Spanish: Emilio García Gómez para niños

• Arabic Poetry
• Miguel Asín Palacios
• Ramón Menéndez Pidal
• Federico García Lorca
• Manuel de Falla
• James T. Monroe