George Santayana (16 December, 1863 – September 26, 1952) was a Spanish-American poet, novelist and philosopher. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the early 20th century.
Fun Facts about George Santayana:
- Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás was born in Madrid, Spain. His mother, Josefina Borrás, was married to a Bostonian merchant, but moved back to Spain with her children after he died. She met and married an old friend, Agustín Ruiz de Santayana in Spain and the couple birthed the future intellectual.
- Six year later, Josefina returned to Boston because she promised her first husband that she’ll raise their children as Americans. Six year old Jorge lived with his father in Spain until 1872, when they followed Josefina to Boston. Agustin did not like Boston, or his wife’s attitude for that matter, and went back to Ávila for the rest of his life.
- After graduating from Boston Latin School, Mr. Santayana entered Harvard College to study philosophy. He was involved in many clubs and was founder and president of the Philosophical Club, editor/cartoonist of The Harvard Lampoon, and co-found of The Harvard Monthly, a literary journal.
- During his summer vacations, he went to Spain to where he saw his father for the first time in many years.
- After getting his diploma from Harvard, he student in Berlin, Germany for two years and later returned the university as a philosophy professor where he was part of the Golden Age of the Harvard philosophy department.
- Some of George Santayana students left their mark on many aspects of society as well. Including Robert Frost, W. E. B. Du Bois, T. S. Eliot, Gertrude Stein, and Walter Lippmann among others.
- When he had enough money from his job, as well as inheritance from his mother, Mr. Santayana resigned from Harvard to spend the rest of his life in Europe. He lived in Ávila, Oxford, and Paris but chose to live the remainder of his life in Rome.
- While in Europe, he wrote 19 books, however refuse to go back to academia despite many prestigious offers.
- When his novel, The Last Puritan (1935) became a best seller, he financially assisted other writers, including Bertrand Russell despite disagreeing with him about politics and philosophy.
- George Santayana is referenced in the 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel.
Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, PanmunjomBrando, “The King and I”, and “The Catcher in the Rye”Eisenhower, Vaccine, England’s got a new queenMarciano, Liberace, Santayana, goodbye
Zohar — Man of la Book
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
--- Please like and follow ManOfLaBook.com ---
Summary
Article Name
Fun Facts Friday: George Santayana
Description
George Santayana (16 December, 1863 – September 26, 1952) was a Spanish-American poet, novelist and philosopher. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers of the early 20th century.
Author
Man of la Book
Publisher Name
Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
Publisher Logo
No Comments