Pedro Emilio Coll

Pedro Emilio Coll (Caracas, July 12, 1872 - same city, March 20, 1947) was a Venezuelan journalist, writer, essayist, politician and diplomat. Founder of the magazine Cosmópolis. He is recognized as one of the main promoters of literary modernism in Venezuela. He was consul of Venezuela in Southampton between 1897 and 1899 where he took the opportunity to work with the magazine Mercure de France in charge of the Hispanic American Literature section. In 1911 he was added as a Numbered Member of the Language Academy and in 1934 he entered as a Numbered Member of the National Academy of History.

Essayist and journalist. Contributed along with Luis Manuel Urbaneja Achelpohl to the incorporation of modernism in Venezuelan literature. His parents were Pedro Coll Otero and Emilia Núñez Márquez. Relative of the poet Jacinto Gutiérrez Coll. In the Bolívar Press, owned by his father, he had contact in his youth with some of the most important writers of the time. The narrations and children's stories that his old aya Marcolina told him, awoke, according to him, his interest in letters. He attended the primary school at La Paz School in Caracas, directed by Guillermo Tell Villegas. At age 22, after leaving university studies, he founded together with Luis Urbaneja Achelpohl and Pedro César Domínici, the magazine Cosmópolis (1894-1895), publication that is considered as the initiator of the modernist movement in Venezuelan literature. Between 1895 and 1907, he collaborated with El Cojo Ilustrado where he published a series of short stories, including El diente roto, considered a classic of the genre. In 1896, he published his first book entitled Words, a collection of essays on art and education. From 1897 to 1899, he served as consul of Venezuela in Southampton, during which time he was in charge of the "Hispano-American Literature" section of the magazine Le Mercure de France, published in Paris. In July 1899, he returned to Venezuela, and the following year, he was appointed director in the Ministry of Development. In 1901, he published another collection of essays on literary subjects under the title El Castillo de Elsinor. In 1911, he was incorporated as a numbered member of the Academy of the Language. Minister of Development in 1913, he was appointed consul general of Venezuela in Paris in 1915 and then, secretary of the Legation of Venezuela in Madrid from 1916 to 1924. Between 1924 and 1926 he was Public Prosecutor of Banks and senator for the Anzoátegui state, until this last year he had to assume the presidency of the National Congress. In 1927, La escondida senda appears, a title that represents his third collection of essays, this time of a historical nature. He worked as inspector of consulates in Europe from 1927 to 1933. In the year of 1934 he entered as a numbered member of the National Academy of History, institution in which he worked as a librarian in 1941. In 1948, his work was published posthumously The wandering step, which was a selection for the Venezuelan Popular Library of the Ministry of Education.

Biography

His mother was Emilia Núñez Márquez, his father Pedro Coll Otero owned an important printing press called "Bolívar" where he became involved with different writers of the time. He left his university studies to devote himself to literary art and with 22 years in 1894 he founded the magazine Cosmópolis with Luis Urbaneja Achelpohl and Pedro César Dominici. He collaborated with several pseudonyms such as Juan de Caracas and A.R. Lequíny wrote some stories in the magazine El Cojo Ilustrado.

Works

The broken tooth (1890), there is a very great similarity between this story and the work of the writer Jerzy Kosinski "From the Garden". The problem is that "The broken tooth" is much older and the mentioned writer -Kosinski- was criticized at times for plagiarism. The similarity of the characters is very evident, including how the story develops.
Words (1896)
The Castle of Elsinor (1901)
The divine people (1925)
The hidden path (1927)
The wandering step (1948)
The hill of the dreams (1959)
The literary life (1972)

Public charges

He was an official of the legations of the United Kingdom, Spain and France, in 1899 he belonged to the directive of the Ministry of Development, being President of Venezuela Juan Vicente Gómez. In 1913 he was Minister of Development. He also held positions as Secretary of Public Instruction, Bank Prosecutor, Senator and President of the National Congress. In 1936 he was appointed Minister Counselor in Washington without assuming the position.

References

External links

Biographies and Lives Biography
El Carabobeño Article: 71 years after the death of Pedro Emilio Coll

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