Fernando González Ochoa (April 24, 1895 – February 16, 1964), was a Colombian writer and

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

philosopher known as "''el filósofo de Otraparte''" (''The Philosopher from Elsewhere''). He wrote about

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

, history, art,

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of co ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Epis ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in a humorous, and creative style, in various genres of literature. González is considered one of the most original writers of Colombia during the 20th century. His ideas were controversial and had a great influence in the Colombian society at his time and still today. González work inspired Nadaism, a literary and cultural movement founded by

Gonzalo Arango Gonzalo Arango Arias (Andes, Antioquia, 1931 – Gachancipá, Cundinamarca, 1976) was a Colombian writer, poet, and journalist. In 1958 he led a modern literary and cultural movement known as Nadaísmo (Nothing-''ism''), inspired by surr ...

an some other writers, poets and painters that surrounded him. His ''Otraparte'' house in

Envigado Envigado () is a town southeast of Medellín, Colombia in the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley. It borders El Poblado, Medellín to the north, Sabaneta to the south, El Retiro and Caldas ...

, is today a museum and the headquarters of the cultural foundation to preserve and promote his legacy. His house was declared a National Patrimony of Colombia in 2006.

Biography

Context

Fernandogonzalesparentsfamilyotraparte1907

González lived during the beginning of the 20th century (1895–1964), a time of change, political turbulence and revolutions in industry. He was born seven years after the new political agreement of a more conservative constitution (1888) that gave great influence to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Colombian society, especially in the education of future generations. Four years after, when he was 4 years old, the nation fell in a bloody

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the 1899 - 1902

Thousand Days War The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conser ...

. The other important event that happened during his life was in 1903 when Colombia lost

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

. In 1926 the Banana massacre gave evidence of the labor problems of the different growing Colombian industries. He lived also in one of the principal trade centers of the country, the

Metropolitan Area of Medellín Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

, the first to start an

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

in Colombia during the 1930s. González was also a witness of the emergence of

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

in Italy when he was consul of Colombia in that country. In 1948 the killing of the presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán opened the doors of a new political instability with El Bogotazo. All these events are reflected in the works and thoughts of Fernando González Ochoa.

Early life

Fernando González Ochoa was born in

, a city in the Aburrá Valley ( Antioquia State). He was the second of seven children. His parents were Daniel González and Pastora Ochoa. His father was a school teacher, the inspiration of one of his books (''El Maestro de Escuela''). He was expelled from the school of the

Presentation A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Presenta ...

of Envigado because he insulted a sister after being punished. Something similar would happen soon after he joined the Jesuit College of Medellín, but this time because he was caught reading Shopenhauer and

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his car ...

. The young González faced his teacher of philosophy, Rev. Quiroz, saying that nothing can be and can not be at the same time. He was a sophomore in high school when the Jesuits asked him to leave the school.

Formation

In 1915 he became a member of

Los Panidas LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

, a group of sceptics, with León de Greiff,

Ricardo Rendón Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugue ...

, Félix Mejía Arango, Libardo Parra Toro, José Manuel Mora Vásquez and Eduardo Vasco, among other young writers, artists and intellectuals. In 1916 González published his first book, ''Pensamientos de un viejo'' (Thoughts of an Oldman). The presentation was written by Fidel Cano, the founder of

El Espectador ''El Espectador'' (meaning "The Spectator") is a newspaper with national circulation within Colombia, founded by Fidel Cano Gutiérrez on 22 March 1887 in Medellín and published since 1915 in Bogotá. It changed from a daily to a weekly editio ...

newspaper. In 1919 González got his diploma in law at

University of Antioquia The University of Antioquia ( es, Universidad de Antioquia), also called UdeA, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university located primarily in the city of Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, with regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes ...

, however his thesis, "''El derecho a no obedecer''" (The Right Not To Obey) was not welcome by the Academic Council of the university. González had to make some modifications to the text and published it under the title of "Una tesis" (A Thesis).

Judge

In 1921 he became Judge of the Superior Tribunal of

Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an important hub for higher ...

. In 1922 he married in Medellín Margarita Restrepo Gaviria, the daughter of former president Carlos E. Restrepo. In 1928 he is nominated Second Judge of the Medellín Tribunals where he knew Benjamín Correa who would become one of his best friends. With Correa he visited several towns in the states of Antioquia, Caldas and Valle del Cauca. From those visits he got the inspiration to one of his most popular books, ''Viaje a pie'' (Journey on Foot), published in 1929, but banned by the Archbishop of Medellín under the penalty of mortal sin. González went to

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in 1931 to meet dictator Juan Vicente Gómez. He considered Gómez a sprout of Libertador Simón Bolívar and they became friends. The dictator was the godfather of one of the sons of González and he dedicated a work to him, "''Mi compadre''".

Diplomatic activity: Consul in Italy

González was nominated by President

Enrique Olaya Herrera Enrique Alfredo Olaya Herrera (12 November 1880 – 18 February 1937) was a Colombian journalist and politician. He served as President of Colombia from 7 August 1930 until 7 August 1934 representing the Colombian Liberal Party. Early years ...

as consul of Colombia in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, Italy in 1932. He went with his family to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and that same year ''Le Livre libre'', a publishing house of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

, published his book ''Don Mirocletes''. About that work Manuel Ugarte wrote a letter to him from

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

saying: From Spain he received two letters of

José Vasconcelos José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial personalities ...

on December 14 and 30, 1932. Vasconcelos wrote: He received other letter of the Colombian writer José María Vargas Vila, who was exiled in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

. Vargas wrote to him: In 1933 the Italian police found his notes with criticisms of the regime of Benito Mussolini and

. He was transferred to Marsella due to a petition of the Italian government. Those notes were the origin of his work ''El hermafrodita dormido'' (The Sleeping Hermaphrodite), a book with his experiences in the classic art museums of Italy. The book was published in Spain in 1934.

Bucarest Villa

In 1934 González returned to Colombia establishing in his town, Envigado, a small farm on which to live that he named "Bucarest Villa". There he started to publish the ''Antioquia Magazine'' until 1945. In 1935 the ''Arturo Zapata'' Printing Press of

published his "''El Remordimiento''" (The Remorse), an essay in theology written in Marsella (France) and ''Letters to Estanislao Zuleta''. The former president of

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

José María Velasco Ibarra José María Velasco Ibarra (19 March 1893 – 30 March 1979) was an Ecuadorian politician. He became president of Ecuador five times, in 1934–1935, 1944–1947, 1952–1956, 1960–1961, and 1968–1972, and only in 1952–1956 he complete ...

, who was exiled in Colombia, visited González in Bucarest Villa in 1936 and they became very good friends. To Velasco he dedicated some chapters of ''Los negroides'' (The Negroid People) where González called Velasco the first "Politician-Thinker" of the Americas. By his part, Velasco called González in his work ''Conciencia o barbarie: exégesis de la Conciencia política americana'' (Conscience or Barbarism: Exegesis of the American Political Conscience), published first by the ''Atlantida'' Printing Press of Medellín, "the most original and deep of the South American sociologists".José María Velasco Ibarra: Conciencia o Barbarie: Exégesis de la Conciencia Política Americana, Medellín, 1937. Republished in Buenos Aires. Spanish. Note: "America" in Spanish refers to the North and South American continents. In that year died in

the

n novelist Teresa de la Parra with whom González had been friends since 1930 when she visited him in Envigado. It was also the year of ''Los negroides'' publication, an essay on New Granada ( Colombia,

and

), saying that it is the only American region where the merger of races will create an original culture for a unified man. Such merger is a principle of promises and appalling realities at the same time.

Otraparte Villa

He started in 1940 the construction of his house in Envigado that at that time he called ''La huerta del alemán'' (The Garden of the German), but the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

would make him to change the name for ''Otraparte'' (Other Place). The villa was designed with architect Carlos Obregón, engineer Félix Mejía Arango and painter Pedro Nel Gómez. That year he published "Santander", an essay about General Francisco de Paula Santander. The writer Tomás Carrasquilla, his friend and the Colombian novelist he most admired, died. In ''Otraparte'' he received the American playwright

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

to whom he dedicated his work ''El maestro de escuela'' (The School Teacher). Wilder was in Colombia as a cultural ambassador of his country in South America and wrote about the ''Garden of the German'': "It is more delightful than all Chapinero". On April 9, 1948, Colombia shuddered with the killing of presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in Bogotá. González dedicated to him some thoughts in 1936 in ''Los negroides'': In June 1949, after El Bogotazo, González wrote in the edition of his ''Antioquia Magazine'': In 1953 he was nominated consul of Colombia in Europe, but he stayed most of the time in

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

where he studied

Simon Bolívar Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

and

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian, ...

. His friend Thornton Wilder and

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...

asked to include his name in the list of candidates to the Nobel Prize in Literature of 1955 and two times he was nominated. The writers

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...

Jacinto Benavente Jacinto Benavente y Martínez (12 August 1866 – 14 July 1954) was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922 "for the happy manner in which he has continued the illustriou ...

and

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical essa ...

admired his work. In September 1957 González returned to Colombia, to his ''Otraparte'' villa, remaining until his death in 1964. In 2006 President

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...

approved Law 1068 to exalt the memory, life and work of the philosopher Fernando González and declared ''Otraparte'' Home Museum, in Envigado, as a national patrimony.

Thought

Fernando González is called the "Philosopher of Authenticity"Alberto Restrepo González:
¿Fernando González filósofo?
" (tr.en "Is Fernando González a philosopher?). Periódico El Colombiano, April 26, 2000. Archive of Corporación Otraparte. Retrieved on May 9, 2008. and his thought is related to the experience of his life as a man. He used to say that we must live in the simple but bringing awareness of the essentials.Jorge A. Zapata: " e must live in the simple but bringing awareness of the essentials Fernando González, Monografías.com. Retrieved on May 9, 2008. He thought about the Colombian man and, thus, the

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

n, their personality, fights and expressions. He called himself the "Philosopher of the Personality of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

". He wrote that the Latin American man might develop the individuality to arise from their anonymity. He criticized what he called the ''Latin American vanity'' that was without substance and invited to express the personality with energy, giving to life the highest value. González thought his time as the decadence of the principle of freedom and individualism for an action of flocks following calves to worship (

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, Benito Mussolini). He longed for the man of the ancient Egypt, Greece and the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

Works

* (1916) Pensamientos de un viejo * (1916) El payaso interior * (1919) Una tesis - El derecho a no obedecer * (1929) * (1930) Mi Simón Bolívar * (1932) Don Mirócletes * (1933) El hermafrodita dormido * (1934) Mi compadre * (1934) Salomé * (1935) El remordimiento * (1935) Cartas a Estanislao. * (1935) "Hace tiempo" de Tomás Carrasquilla * (1936) Los negroides * (1936) Don Benjamín, jesuita predicador * (1936) Nociones de izquierdismos * (1936–1945) Revista Antioquia * (1940) Santander * (1941) El maestro de escuela * (1942) Estatuto de valorización * (1945) Cómo volverse millonario en Colombia * (1950) Cartas a Simón Bolívar * (1959) Libro de los viajes o de las presencias * (1962) Tragicomedia del padre Elías y Martina la Velera * (1963) El pesebre * (1936) Las cartas de Ripol

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Henao Hidrón, Javier. Fernando González, the Philopher of Authenticity. Medellín:

and Biblioteca Pública Piloto, 1988. Spanish. * Uribe de Estrada, María Helena. Fernando González: The Traveler who was seeing more and more. Medellín: Molino de Papel Publish House, 1999. Spanish. *Revista Aleph, No. 166. Número monográfico dedicado a Fernando González, con participación de varios escritores. *Arango, Gonzalo. "Fernando González". Manizales: Revista Aleph, No. 166, julio/sept. 2013, p.p. 34-36. *Jaramillo, María Dolores. "Eduardo Escobar habla sobre Fernando González". Manizales: Revista Aleph, No 166, julio/sept. 2013, p.p. 15-33 *Restrepo, Alberto. Guide to read Fernando González. Medellín: Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and Universidad San Buenaventura, 1997.

External links

Otraparte Cultural Corporation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Fernando 20th-century Colombian philosophers Existentialists Colombian ethicists Colombian philosophers 20th-century Colombian judges 1895 births 1964 deaths People from Envigado University of Antioquia alumni Colombian diplomats