Nicolás Antonio facts for kids
Nicolás Antonio (born July 31, 1617 – died April 13, 1684) was an important Spanish bibliographer. A bibliographer is like a super-organized librarian who creates lists of books and writings, often with details about them. Nicolás Antonio was born in Seville, Spain.
Contents
Who Was Nicolás Antonio?
Nicolás Antonio was a very smart person who spent his life studying and writing about books. He is famous for creating huge lists of Spanish writers and their works. These lists are still very helpful today!
Early Life and Studies
Nicolás Antonio went to the University of Salamanca from 1636 to 1639. After he finished his studies, he went back to his hometown, Seville. There, he started working on his biggest project: a massive list of all Spanish writers. He also wrote a book called De Exilio, which was printed later in 1659.
Working for the King
News of Nicolás Antonio's great knowledge reached Philip IV of Spain, who was the king at the time. In 1645, the king gave him a special honor called the Order of Santiago. This was a very important award. Later, in 1654, the king sent him to Rome to work as a "General Agent." This job meant he represented Spain's interests in Rome, especially in matters related to the church and culture.
Nicolás Antonio returned to Spain in 1679 and passed away in Madrid in 1684.
His Amazing Books
Nicolás Antonio's most famous work is a series of books called Bibliotheca Hispana. These books are like giant catalogs of Spanish literature.
What is a Bibliography?
Imagine you want to find every book ever written by Spanish authors. That would be a huge task! A bibliography is a detailed list of books, articles, or other writings. It often includes information like the author, title, date, and where it was published. Nicolás Antonio created one of the most important bibliographies for Spanish literature.
The "Bibliotheca Hispana" Series
His first major book, Bibliotheca Hispana nova, was published in Rome in 1672. This book listed the works of Spanish authors who lived after the year 1500.
Later, another part of his work, Bibliotheca Hispana vetus, was published in 1696. This book covered the history of Spanish writing from the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus all the way to the end of the 15th century.
Both parts of his Bibliotheca Hispana were later combined and published again in a beautiful new edition in Madrid between 1787 and 1788. This huge work was much better than any other similar book before it. Even today, it is still a very important and necessary resource for anyone studying Spanish literature.
Other Writings
Besides his famous bibliographies, Nicolás Antonio also wrote other interesting books. One important book published after he died was Censura de historias fabulosas (1742). In this book, he showed his deep knowledge and his ability to think critically about historical stories. He also wrote Bibliotheca Hispana rabinica, which was about Jewish writings in Spain, but this book was never printed. The original handwritten copy is kept in the national library in Madrid.
See also
In Spanish: Nicolás Antonio para niños
