Ateneo de Sevilla

Main façade, Ateneo de Sevilla. Designed by Vicente Traver y Tomás

The Ateneo de Sevilla, originally called "Excursions Ateneo and Society" is a cultural association in Seville, founded in 1887 by D. Manuel Sales y Ferré. It became prominent in the early 20th century, and was known for its meetings of the 'Generation 27'.

Activities

Writers such as Juan Ramón Jiménez, José María Izquierdo and Joaquín Romero Murube have been members of the Ateneo de Sevilla. Jiménez, the author of Platero and I and the Diary of a Newlywed Poet, who came from his native city of Moguer to the city of Seville to pursue a degree in law, used to say that he became a writer and poet in the library Ateneo de Sevilla. The association has also had politicians among its members, such as Pedro Rodríguez de la Borbolla, Blas Infante, Diego Martinez Barrio, and Miguel Bravo-Ferrer.

The courtyard of the Ateneo de Sevilla

The popular Kings Parade, which emerged in the historically significant year of 1918, was an initiative of the Ateneo de Sevilla, and was organized by it every year since, and is a prominent landmark among the major festivals of the city.

The Ateneo de Sevilla inspired the creation of the Isla Cristina Ateneo, a similar organization also in Andalucia. It opened on September 10, 1926, as a result of the collaboration of Blas Infante.

The Ateneo has many cultural initiatives, which occur with regularity. Notable ones include: the Ateneo de Sevilla Awards: "Novel", "Young Novel", "Historical Novel", "Painting", "History" and "Trial and Updates". The Ateneo's ceaseless activity also includes lectures, panel discussions, debates, book presentations, and exhibitions. In 2012 the institution celebrated its 125th anniversary.

The Ateneo de Sevilla tries to bring national and international personalities as guests, with a goal of bringing analysis and reflection to the most diverse sectors of the population of Seville, including historical and current topics. To this end, during the term of Alberto Maximo Perez Calero, current President of the Ateneo, lecturers have included Anna Ferrer, widow of Vincent Ferrer (who received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord for his work with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in India), and José Antonio Marina, renowned Spanish educator, philosopher, and writer.

A plaque at the Atheneum of Isla Cristina (province of Huelva) records that it was founded in imitation of the Ateneo de Sevilla.

Alberto Máximo Pérez Calero, the President of the Ateneo de Sevilla

Generation 27

During the presidency of Blasco Garzón, the physician and poet José María Romero Martínez (1893-1936) was responsible for organizing at the Ateneo de Sevilla a commemoration of the third anniversary of the death of Gongora. The event, which was finally held at the Economic Society of Friends of the Country in Seville, December 16 and 17, 1927 invited leading representatives of the Spanish poetic art. Pictured are immortalized by Serrano and Blasco José María Romero Garzon, and sides, Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca, Chabás, Bacarisse, Jorge Guillen, Bergamin, Damaso Alonso and Gerardo Diego. After the photographer, Cernuda, Villalon, Salinas, Porlán, Adriano del Valle, Beautiful, Amantina Cobos, the painter Villalobos, Collantes, Romero Murube Labrador Llosent, Thorn, Fernández Almagro, San Román Muñoz, Laffón, Bacarisas, the matador Sanchez Mejias, Juan Miguel Sanchez, Lafita, Majo, Nunez Cabezas de Herrera, Tamayo and José de la Peña, among others. This act is considered the founding document of the Generation of 27 despite their differences in age and colorful aesthetic.

Presidency

Since 2010, the current President of the Ateneo de Sevilla is Alberto Maximo Perez Calero. Doctor of Medicine and specialist in Family Practice, Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Academician of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Seville, Murcia and Vélez de Guevara (Ecija). Before President, Alberto Maximo Perez Calero, has been a director continuously since 1994 of the institution in the Chair of the Section of Literature, Medicine, Assistant to the President and Secretary General. He has published several books and dozens of articles on the Ateneo de Sevilla.

References

This article incorporates information from the revision as of 2010-05-17 of the equivalent article on the Spanish Wikipedia.

• Barrero González, Enrique, ed. (2004–2005). El Ateneo de Sevilla y su cabalgata de Reyes Magos (in Spanish). Seville: Ateneo de Sevilla.  2 volumes.

• Barrero González, Enrique (2006). Noticias de la vida y de la obra de José María Izquierdo con sus escritos conservados por Miguel Romero Martínez (in Spanish). Seville: Ateneo de Sevilla. ISBN 84-611-3194-0.  2 volumes.

• Diccionario de ateneístas de Sevilla (2002–2007) (in Spanish). Seville: Ateneo de Sevilla.  4 volumes.

• Domínguez León, José, ed. (2001). La cabalgata de Reyes Magos del Ateneo de Sevilla. (in Spanish). Seville: Ateneo de Sevilla.  2 volumes. Texts by José Domínguez León, Miguel Cruz Giraldez, Gerardo Pérez Calero; photographs by Marcos Fernández Gómez, et al.