Eugenio Imaz facts for kids
Eugenio Ímaz Echeverría (born San Sebastián, June 14, 1900 – died Veracruz, January 28, 1951) was a smart Spanish thinker and a skilled translator. He was known for translating many important books from German into Spanish. Eugenio Ímaz was also the grandfather of Carlos Imaz Gispert, a well-known Mexican politician.
Life and Education
Eugenio Ímaz studied law and philosophy at the Universidad Central de Madrid. He finished his law degree in 1925 and his philosophy degree in 1929. After his studies, he received a special grant. This grant allowed him to travel to Germany.
In Germany, Ímaz spent two years studying and working at different universities. During this time, he also wrote for important magazines. These included Revista de Occidente and Cruz y Raya.
Life in Exile
When the Spanish Civil War ended, Ímaz had to leave Spain. He moved to Mexico as an exile. An exile is someone who is forced to leave their home country. In Mexico, he quickly joined a group called the Junta de Cultura Española. He worked as a vice-secretary under José Bergamín.
Ímaz continued his writing and publishing in Mexico. He helped with magazines like España Peregrina and Romance. He also became a professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He taught in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters.
From 1939 to 1946, Ímaz lived in Mexico City. He arrived there in 1939 with his wife, Hilde Jahnke, and their two sons, Carlos and Víctor. He kept working with the Junta de Cultura Española. He was also a secretary for the magazine España Peregrina. He wrote many articles for Spanish and Mexican magazines.
He taught at the Hispano-Mexicana Academy. This school was for children of Spanish exiles and Mexican families. These families supported the republican side in the Spanish Civil War.
Important Translation Work
Perhaps the most important work Ímaz did was as a translator. He worked for the Fondo de Cultura Económica. This is a very famous publishing house. Between 1946 and 1948, he lived in Caracas, Venezuela. There, he helped create and strengthen university departments. He worked on journalism and philosophy programs.
In Venezuela, Ímaz did a lot of cultural work. He realized that he loved teaching at universities. After his time in Venezuela, he returned to Mexico. He rejoined the team of translators at the Fondo de Cultura Económica. He translated more than 50 books. One of his biggest projects was translating the Complete Works of Wilhelm Dilthey.
He continued to translate many books from German. Besides Dilthey, he translated works by other famous thinkers. These included Immanuel Kant, Jacob Burckhardt, Johan Huizinga, and Ernst Cassirer.
Eugenio Ímaz was planning a trip to the Universidad de Puerto Rico. He was going to join their philosophy teaching staff. Sadly, he passed away in Veracruz, Mexico, before he could make the trip.
His Contributions
Eugenio Ímaz's work can be divided into two main parts. First, he translated many books by important thinkers. His translations of Dilthey are especially well-known. Second, he wrote many articles and works about ideas and politics.
His writings have been collected and published. Professor José Ángel Ascunce put them into three books. These books are: La fe por la palabra (The Faith of the Word): Eugenio Imaz I (1989), Topia y Utopia: Eugenio Imaz II (1988), and Luz en la caverna (Light in the Cavern): Eugenio Imaz III (1988). All these books were published by the Universidad de Deusto.
See also
In Spanish: Eugenio Ímaz para niños
