Arturo Agüero Chaves (March 28, 1907 – May 11, 2001), was a

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

n writer,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoreti ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

. Along with

Aquileo J. Echeverría Aquileo J. Echeverría (May 22, 1866 in San José, Costa Rica – March 11, 1909 in Barcelona) was a Costa Rican politician, writer, and journalist. Early life After graduating from the National Institute, Echeverria fell on hard times. He enlis ...

, he is one of the greatest exponents of Costa Rican ''

costumbrismo ''Costumbrismo'' (sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic scene, and particularly in the 19t ...

''. He is also considered the father of modern

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

in Costa Rica.

Life and career

Born Pedro Piedades Chaves Umaña in San José,

, on March 28, 1907, he was the

illegitimate son Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

of Engracia Chaves Umaña"Costa Rica, registros parroquiales y diocesanos, 1595-1992," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQLZ-PMQ : accessed 28 January 2016), Pedro Piedades Chaves, 23 Apr 1907, Baptism; citing San Isidro de Coronado, San Isidro de Coronado, San José, Costa Rica, parroquias de la Iglesia Católica, Costa Rica (Catholic Church parishes, Costa Rica); FHL microfilm 1,219,693. and José María Agüero Barboza. After losing his mother to

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

at the age of 15, Pedro Chaves moved in with his father and changed his name to Arturo Agüero Chaves. By the time he was 21 years old, Agüero was already publishing his poetry in local newspapers. He studied at Escuela Normal de Heredia and began his career as a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

Spanish Literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wit ...

professor in 1929. While teaching at Liceo de Costa Rica and Instituto de Alajuela, Agüero made a name for himself as a prominent educator. He went on to serve as principal at various Costa Rican public schools and as a

Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

teacher in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in the late 1940s. When the first Costa Rican

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

was founded at the

University of Costa Rica The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Mo ...

, Agüero was among its first-ever faculty members. At University of Costa Rica, he engaged in extensive research on philology and became one of the University's most distinguished professors. Agüero published most of his literary work during his 15 years as Chair of the Department of Philology, Linguistics and Literature at University of Costa Rica. In 1955, having achieved national renown as a poet and philologist, he was elected to the

Academia Costarricense de la Lengua The Academia Costarricense de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Costa Rican Academy of Language'') is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Costa Rica. It was founded in San José on October 12, 1923. It is a member o ...

(English: Costa Rican Academy of the Language), which he would later preside from 1981 until his death in 2001. As an

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...

, Agüero's linguistic research would extend beyond Costa Rica, earning him membership in numerous

language academies This is a list of bodies that consider themselves to be authorities on standard languages, often called language academies. Language academies are motivated by, or closely associated with, linguistic purism and prestige, and typically publish pr ...

, including the

Real Academia Española The Royal Spanish Academy ( es, Real Academia Española, generally abbreviated as RAE) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with ...

(English: Royal Spanish Academy) and the

North American Academy of the Spanish Language The North American Academy of the Spanish Language
." ''North American Academy of the Spanish Language''. Retrieved on March 31, 2011.

. Furthermore, Agüero's role as Director of the Costa Rican Academy of the Language would get him acquainted with

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

writers

Dámaso Alonso Dámaso Alonso y Fernández de las Redondas (22 October 1898 – 25 January 1990) was a Spanish poet, philologist and literary critic. Though a member of the Generation of '27, his best-known work dates from the 1940s onwards. Early life and ed ...

and

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literat ...

, who would later become his personal friends. Besides his poetry and academic work, Arturo Agüero also gained recognition for his columns in Costa Rican newspapers

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Nac ...

and

La Prensa Libre ''La Prensa Libre'' (''The Free Press'') was a daily newspaper published in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. It was the country's oldest continually published newspaper, founded 11 June 1889. The newspaper stopped publishing its print ...

. Agüero died at age 94 on May 11, 2001. Upon news of his demise, Costa Rican journalists were not able to list the extensive number of awards that Agüero had received throughout his career.

Awards and recognitions

* In 1949, he received the National Prize for Poetry. * In 1955, he received the National Prize for

Costumbrista ''Costumbrismo'' (sometimes anglicized as costumbrism, with the adjectival form costumbrist) is the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic scene, and particularly in the 19t ...

Poetry. * In 1963, he was bestowed the Officer's badge of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

by the

French government The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

. * In 1967, he was awarded with the

Nicaraguan Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

Orden de Rubén Darío. * In 1975, he was given the title

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of the

. * He was bestowed

honorary citizenship Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

in San Ramón in 1978, and in

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...

in 1979. * In 1984, he received the

Magón National Prize for Culture The Magón National Prize for Culture ''(Premio Nacional de Cultura Magón)'' is an award given by the government of Costa Rica, through its Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sport, to a Costa Rican citizen in recognition of their life's work in the ...

, the highest honour awarded by the Costa Rican government to national artists and intellectuals. * In 1997, he became

Doctor Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

of the

. * In 1999,

Felipe VI of Spain Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...

named him an Honorary Member of the Foundation "

Monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla The monasteries of San Millán de Suso (6th century) and San Millán de Yuso (11th century) are two monasteries situated in the village of San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja, Spain. They have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO sinc ...

". * In 2003, the

's Western Campus library was named after him. * He was named "Guest of Honor" in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Puebla City Puebla de Zaragoza (; nah, Cuetlaxcoapan), formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, formerly Puebla de los Ángeles during colonial times, or known in English simply as Puebla, is the seat of Puebla Municipality. It is the capital and largest city ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...

and

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Works

Poetry

*El Romancero Tico (1940) *La Lechuza (1950)

Philology

*Estudios Lingüísticos desde la Antigüedad hasta 1800 *Historia de la Lingüística *Crónicas del Segundo Congreso de Academias de la Lengua Española *Nuevas Normas de Prosodia y Ortología *El Español de América y Costa Rica (1962) *Literatura y Gramática Castellana (1963) *Literatura y Gramática Españolas (1968) *El Español de América (1973) *Origen y Desarrollo de la Lingüística (1977) *Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos y Fonología y Fonética Españolas (1996)

References

External links

Diccionario de Costarriqueñismos
at

Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica The Legislative Assembly ( es, Asamblea Legislativa) forms the unicameralism, unicameral legislature, legislative branch of the Costa Rican government. The national congress building is located in the capital city, San José, Costa Rica, San Jos ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aguero Chaves, Arturo 1907 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Costa Rican poets Costa Rican male poets 20th-century male writers