ZENOBIA CAMPRUBÍ: BIOGRAPHY AND WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

Zenobia Camprubí Aymar (1887-1956) was a Spanish linguist and writer, considered ahead of her time for her thoughts and the lifestyle she had to live. She has been recognized by many scholars as one of the first Spanish feminists.

Zenobia's work was oriented towards the dissemination of everything related to Spanish culture, and she also dedicated herself to carrying out some translations. She was a woman with a high sense of humanity, and constantly fought for the rights of women, and for children.

Zenobia Camprubí Aymar. Source: Joaquín Sorolla

Camprubí was the wife and life partner of the writer Juan Ramón Jiménez. Many of those who have dedicated themselves to the life and work of Zenobia have concluded that she was the architect behind her husband's success. She was a woman of extensive knowledge and a determined character.

Biography

Birth and family

Zenobia was born on August 31, 1887 in the Malgrat de Mar municipality, in the city of Barcelona. She came from a very wealthy family. Her father was an engineer named Raimundo Camprubí Escudero, and her mother was named Isabel Aymar Lucca, a woman who received a careful education.

Zenobia Education

Being from a wealthy family, Zenobia received a quality education, highlighted by the presence of private tutors. Her first years of formation were between Puerto Rico and the United States, which made her a cosmopolitan woman and, above all, with a free spirit and ideals.

Later, at the age of twenty, in 1908, the young woman enrolled in Columbia University in New York, specifically in the school of pedagogy, where she studied composition and English literature. In addition, she learned music, American and European history, and acquired a knowledge of Latin.

As can be seen, his training was very rich and varied, aspects that later forged his character and marked his career.

A noble girl with a humanistic spirit

After a trip to the United States with her mother, to enroll her older brother José at Harvard University, Zenobia Camprubí settled in Barcelona. The nine-year-old girl had health problems, and the doctors recommended the airs of the city of Sarriá.

Zenobia Camprubí as a child. Source: http://huelva24.com/not/26262/, via Wikimedia Commons

In Sarriá, Zenobia met and created a strong bond of friendship for life with the future poet and painter, María Muntadas. Together they conceived the idea of ​​the industrious bees, whose purpose was to sew and collect clothes for the most needy; at twelve she had already shown the nobility of her heart.

A time from here to there

For a time Zenobia had to change her address, and also take some family trips outside the country. Her father's job as an engineer forced the family to move constantly, so she spent time living in Tarragona.

Zenobia's mother, who was fundamental in the formation of her children, always had the conviction that they study in other countries. In 1900, Raimundo, the second of the brothers, was sent to study in Germany, and the young girl was left alone.

A year later, he spent time in Switzerland with his mother and his younger brother Augusto, who had medical consequences after suffering from Diphtheria. Later, in 1902, her father was relocated to the city of Valencia, which meant loneliness for the writer.

The stay in the Valencian city was one of grief and routine for the almost fifteen-year-old girl. In addition to the monotonous classes in music, English, Italian and French, history and literature, she took advantage of her free hours to write Malgrat, a narrative about her life in her hometown.

For the same reasons as the first trip, he returned to Switzerland in 1903 with his mother and brother. During that trip she took the opportunity to socialize and acquire new cultural learning, meanwhile her parents' married life was crumbling.

Upon returning to Spain, Zenobia's parents separated. So she, her brother Augusto, and her mother went to live in the United States, at which time Camprubí began studying at Columbia University. In 1908 she had to return to Spain, without finishing her studies.

Zenobia and love

When Zenobia Camprubí was studying in New York, she met a friend of her older brother, Henry Shattuck, a prominent Harvard University graduate lawyer. That man fell in love with her, began to hang out with her, and too late he confessed his love.

The writer Juan Ramón Jiménez, Zenobia's husband. Source: See page for author, via Wikimedia Commons

It was late for Shattuck because Zenobia had already met Juan Ramón Jiménez at a conference in 1913. They were soon engaged, and on March 2, 1916 they were married in New York, much to the dismay of the bride's mother who always preferred to the wealthy gentleman from Boston, Henry.

A charity

At the time that the writer settled back in Spain, between 1909 and 1910, she carried out educational actions in favor of children. In the courtyard of her house in La Rábida, Huelva, she improvised a school to teach the children of the community to write and read.

The days in the nascent outdoor “institution” were filled with joy, laughter and learning. The charming teacher Zenobia taught with passion and love to the nineteen children who participated in the teaching.

Literary collaborations from Camprubí to Jiménez

Shortly after meeting, the Jiménez-Camprubí duo began to work as a team on literary issues. Together they translated into Spanish the work of the poet Rabindranath Tagore; she did the translation, while he gave it the poetic touch.

Both were dedicated to translating some of the works of great classics, such as Allan Poe and William Shakespeare. The couple also wrote The New Moon, and they were successful, although she was upset because her initials appeared, and that revealed the love that was still secret.

In multiple activities

Once Zenobia and her husband settled in Spain, he dedicated himself to his activities and she to her own, although she was always a collaborator in the writer's work. She founded "Nurse at Home", as a contribution for those patients who could not meet medical needs.

Zenobia's concern for the training of women accompanied her throughout her life. She worked as a team with María Maeztu in the exchange of students from Spain to the United States, through scholarships, and at the same time she was founder and member of the Women's Club.

Camprubí also founded La Casa del Niño, which consisted of a nursery for the care of children from two to five years old. The institution had doctors and nurses, and with the help of the members of the Club.

In 1928 Zenobia established the Spanish Art Store, considered one of the most important works of her work. The objective was to hold permanent exhibitions of the Spanish workforce, to later make deals through export.

Exile

The Spanish Civil War of 1936 wreaked havoc on the nation, everyone suffered the consequences. At first Zenobia and her husband took care of more than twelve children who were left without parents, and they welcomed them with all kinds of attention and care.

In August of that same year, the persecutions forced them to leave the country. They arrived in New York, and later made trips to Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico. In the Puerto Rican country she gave her first lectures, and was a professor at the main university of that nation.

Some time later, in 1942, Zenobia and her husband went to live in Washington. She began working at the University of Maryland as a promoter of Spanish teaching for soldiers. Later she was a professor of literature and foreign language in that same house of studies.

In 1948, while in Puerto Rico, Zenobia was diagnosed with uterine cancer. At first, she refused to be operated, then agreed to undergo surgery in Boston. Later the disease reappeared and he died on October 28, 1956, in Puerto Rico.

Plays

Zenobia Camprubí's work was mostly of a social nature. She always sought to help women in the processes of equality, preparation and progress within a society that was advantageous for men. At the same time, he was concerned and took actions to give a better life to those most in need.

Being the wife of a writer like Juan Ramón Jiménez gave her a lot of participation in the literary life of her partner. On many occasions she collaborated with him in his writings giving him ideas. In addition, she helped him with translations and on many occasions acted as his secretary.

Among some of his works are:

Translations into Spanish of Tagore's work (1916-1917)

Diaries

Camprubí also wrote some diaries, which reflected the lifestyle, customs and advances of the 20th century. They highlighted:

- Diario I Cuba (1937-1939).

- Journal II United States (1939-1950).

- Diario III Puerto Rico (1951-1956).

In addition to a writing with the title Juan Ramón y yo (1954).

References

1. Zenobia Camprubí Aymar. (2019). Spain: House, museum and Zenobia Juan Ramón Jiménez foundation. Recovered from: foundation-jrj.es.
2. Zenobia Camprubí. (2019). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: wikipedia.org.
3. Serrano, A. (2018). Zenobia Camprubí: the brain in the shadow of a Nobel. Spain: Book Dialogues. Recovered from: dialoguesdelibro.es.
4. Zenobia Camprubí. Biography. (2015). Spain: Instituto Cervantes. Recovered from: cervantes.es.
5. Manrique, W. (2015). Zenobia Camprubí comes out of the shadow of Juan Ramón Jiménez. Spain: The Country. Recovered from: elpais.com.