Víctor García de la Concha (born 2 January 1934, Villaviciosa,

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

)"Víctor García de la Concha, Premio Internacional Menéndez Pelayo"
''

El País ''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El Pa ...

'' is a

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 ...

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 ...

. He is a past director of the

Cervantes Institute Instituto Cervantes (the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important figur ...

and a past director of the

Royal Spanish Academy 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 ...

. He served three four-year terms in that position, from 1998 to 2010. Directors usually serve no more than two terms.

Life & career

De la Concha took his bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the

University of Oviedo The University of Oviedo ( es, Universidad de Oviedo, Asturian: ''Universidá d'Uviéu'') is a public university in Asturias (Spain). It is the only university in the region. It has three campus and research centres, located in Oviedo, Gijón ...

and in Theology from the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

in Rome. He taught at several institutions and universities, including the

University of Valladolid The University of Valladolid is a public university located in the city of Valladolid, Valladolid province, autonomous region of Castile and Leon, Spain. Established in the 13th century, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. The un ...

University of Murcia The University of Murcia ( es, Universidad de Murcia) is the main university in Murcia, Spain. With 38,000 students, it is the largest university in the Región de Murcia. The University of Murcia is the third oldest university in Spain, after t ...

and

University of Zaragoza The University of Zaragoza, sometimes referred to as Saragossa University () is a public university with teaching campuses and research centres spread over the three provinces of Aragon, Spain. Founded in 1542, it is one of the oldest universiti ...

, until he obtained the Chair of

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 ...

at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

. He was one of the scriptwriters for the 1984 TV

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, ''

Teresa de Jesús ''Teresa de Jesús'' is a Spanish television mini-series produced by Televisión Española and broadcast in its Primera Cadena in 1984. Directed by Josefina Molina and written by Víctor García de la Concha, Carmen Martín Gaite and Molina her ...

'', and had a

cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in one episode, playing the

Archbishop of Seville The Archdiocese of Seville is part of 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 ol ...

, who blesses Teresa (while some of his University colleagues hold a canopy over them). In 1987, he became manager of the literary magazine ''Ínsula'' In 1992, he entered the

as an Academic Numerary, occupying seat (c). The next year, he became Secretary and, in 1998, Director. In 2000, he was named a

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 ...

in Letters at Francisco Morazán National Pedagogic University in

Tegucigalpa Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...

, on the occasion of his visit to the

Academia Hondureña de la Lengua The Academia Hondureña de la Lengua (Spanish for ''Honduran Academy of Language'') is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Honduras. It was founded in Tegucigalpa on December 28, 1948. It is a member of the ...

. In 2009, he received the Lázaro Carreter Prize, and in 2010, King

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

named him a Knight of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

.Real Decreto 47/2010, de 22 de enero, por el que se concede el Collar de la Orden del Toisón de Oro a Víctor García de la Concha.
/ref> In 2011, he received the

Menéndez Pelayo International Prize The Menéndez Pelayo International Prize has been awarded since 1987 by the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) with the objective of honoring those persons whose literary or scientific work has a humanistic orientation and application, ...

, and in January 2012, was named director of the

.El Mundo: Víctor García de la Concha, nuevo director del Cervantes
/ref>

Selected works

* ''La Poesía Española de Posguerra'', Prensa Española (1973) * ''El Arte Literario de Santa Teresa'', Ariel (1978) * ''León Felipe: Itinerario Poético'', Consejeria de Educacion y Cultura (1986) * ''La Poesía Española de 1935 a 1975'', Catedra (1987) * ''Nueva Lectura del Lazarillo'', Castalia (1993) * ''Al Aire de su Vuelo: Estudios Sobre Santa Teresa, Fray Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz y Calderón de la Barca'', Galaxia Gutenberg (2004) * ''Cinco Novelas en Clave Simbólica'', Alfaguara (2010)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concha, Victor Garcia de la Spanish philologists Members of the Royal Spanish Academy University of Salamanca faculty Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain 1934 births Living people