Javier Gomá facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Javier Gomá
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| Born | 24 May 1965 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
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| Education | Classical philology (1988), Law (1994), PhD Philosophy (2001) |
| Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid National University of Distance Education |
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| Employer | Spanish Council of State (since 1993) |
| Board member of | Juan March Foundation (since 1996) |
| Spouse(s) | Since 1994 |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Spanish National Literature Award for non-Fiction (2004), FIES Award (2001), Antonio Fontan Award (2012) |
Javier Gomá Lanzón (born May 24, 1965, in Bilbao, Spain) is a Spanish thinker, writer, and essayist. He is known for his series of books called Tetralogía de la ejemplaridad, which means "Tetralogy of Exemplarity." This series explores what it means to be a good example. He has also written plays.
Javier Gomá is the Executive Director of the Juan March Foundation. This is an important cultural and scientific foundation in Spain. Since 2024, he has also been the Director of the Chair of Exemplarity at CUNEF Universidad.
Contents
Javier Gomá's Life and Career
Javier Gomá has studied many subjects. He earned degrees in Classical Philology in 1988, which means he studied ancient languages and literature. He also got a degree in Law in 1992. Later, he completed a PhD in Philosophy.
In 1993, he passed exams to work for the Spanish Council of State. This is a high-level government advisory body in Spain. He has been on leave from this role since 2007.
In 1996, he started working at the Juan March Foundation in Madrid. He became the director of this foundation in 2003. He still holds this important position today.
His Writings and Awards
Javier Gomá's philosophical works are divided into two main groups. One is the Tetralogía de la ejemplaridad (Tetralogy of Exemplarity). The other is Filosofía mundana (Worldly Philosophy). He has also written other books like Ingenuidad aprendida (Learned Naïveté).
His first book, Imitación y experiencia (Imitation and Experience), won a big award. It received the 2004 Spanish National Literature Award for non-Fiction. He has also won other awards for his writing.
Javier Gomá is involved with important cultural institutions. He is a member of the boards of the Teatro Real, which is Madrid's opera house, and the Teatro Abadía. He has also given many talks at different places in Spain and other countries. He often writes for newspapers and cultural magazines.
He is part of the advisory board for a magazine called Revista de Estudios Orteguianos. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Spanish Association of Foundations. In 2000, he was chosen to be part of a professional exchange program in the United States.
Javier Gomá's Books
Javier Gomá's main philosophical books are part of two collections.
Tetralogy of Exemplarity
The first collection is called Tetralogía de la ejemplaridad (Tetralogy of Exemplarity). This series of four books was published together in 2014. It was a project he worked on for over ten years. The books in this series are:
- Imitación y experiencia (Imitation and Experience) (2003)
- Aquiles en el gineceo (Achilles in the Gynaeceum) (2007)
- Ejemplaridad pública (Public Exemplarity) (2009)
- Necesario pero imposible (Necessary but Impossible) (2013)
These books explore different ideas about being a good example in life.
Worldly Philosophy
The second collection is Filosofía mundana. Microensayos completos (Worldly Philosophy: Complete Micro-essays). This book, published in 2016, brings together 63 short essays. Most of these essays first appeared in Spanish newspapers like El País and La Vanguardia. These essays are like short articles that share his thoughts on everyday life.
After these two main collections, he wrote La imagen de tu vida (Your Life's Image) in 2017. This book includes three essays about how people are remembered after they are gone. It also contains a play he wrote called Inconsolable.
Javier Gomá has also published other collections of his essays and talks. These include Ingenuidad aprendida (Learned Naïveté) (2011). He also helped write a book called Muchas felicidades (Much Happiness) (2014).
He also put together a book called Ganarse la vida en el arte, la literatura y la música (Making a Living in Art, Literature, and Music) in 2012.
Based on his experience leading a foundation, Gomá wrote Carta a las fundaciones españolas y otros ensayos del mismo estilo (Letters to Spanish Foundations and Other Essays in the Same Vein) (2014).
Plays and Theatre
Javier Gomá has also written plays. His dramatic monologue Inconsolable was first published in a newspaper in 2016. It was then performed on stage in Madrid in June 2017. A dramatic monologue is a play where one actor speaks for a long time. The play was later performed in other cities like Bilbao and Barcelona.
In May 2019, a comedy he wrote was published. It is called Quiero cansarme contigo, o el peligro de las buenas compañías (I Want to Get Tired With You, or the Danger of Good Company). This play uses humor to talk about being a good example.
Inconsolable and Quiero cansarme contigo are part of a group of three plays. The third play is called Las lágrimas de Jerjes (Xerxes' Tears). Together, these three plays form a theatrical trilogy titled Un hombre de cincuenta años (A Man of Fifty).
His Family
Javier Gomá has two brothers, Ignacio and Fernando Gomá Lanzón. They are both notaries in Madrid. They also work together on a blog called Hay Derecho? This blog discusses current legal and political topics.
See also
In Spanish: Javier Gomá para niños
