Saturnino Calleja Fernandez

Saturnino Calleja Fernandez was born in Burgos in 1853, although his family line was from Quintanadue as, currently integrated resort municipality of Quintanadue as Alfoz. His father, Fernando Santos Calleja, founded in 1876 a bookshop and bookbinding business in the Rue de la Paz in Madrid, which was bought by Saturninus, in 1879, and this became the orial Calleja, who became the most popular in Spain, Latin America and the Philippines. In 1899, the orial Calleja issued 3,400,000 volumes. Saturnino Calleja made two important developments in the publishing world of the time published large runs of books and stories (with very small profit, so much cheapened prices) and all of them profusely illustrated with drawings by the best artists, thus achieving some stories appealing and accessible to less affluent pockets, used to read, thus, several generations of children.Moreover, the books of Pedagogy were then scarce, poor and expensive. Calleja ed others, based on the latest educational trends in Europe, filled them with beautiful illustrations (his great motto was “All for the illustration of the child”) and divided (sometimes at the expense of your pocket) by the then impoverished schools the peoples of Spain. The Spanish teachers were undervalued (sadly the phrase “Going hungry as a schoolmaster”). Saturnino Calleja magazine founded and directed the Enlightenment in Spain, on whose head said: “Newspaper devoted to the advocacy of the magisterium Spanish” its first issue hit the streets in June 1884. That review was accompanied by the Magisterium of The Herald Bulletin, for the same purpose and the same signature. He also created the National Association of Teaching Spanish and organized the National Teachers’ Assembly. With all this became the undisputed leader of the Spanish master.In 1888, The Enlightenment of Spain director and owner changes and is defined as “illustrated magazine of Literature, Science, Art and Fashion”. The orial Calleja issued the order of 3,000 titles, not just stories but also books and text books Pedagogy (many of these writings by the same Calleja) and classic literature (several ions of Don Quixote, the first complete ion Platero and I, etc.) dictionaries as the Dictionary of the Spanish language manual illustrated with thousands of engravings, maps, portraits of famous men and strip encyclopedic), atlases, books on medicine, health, law, dance, cooking etc.. It is well known for his short story collection cheap, rock-bottom prices, available to all children who have pockets 5 and 10 cents. This gives rise to the expression “You have more tale Calleja!”.The folk elements were treated with certain tones instructive and exemplary, while stressing to them the notes of a Hispanic casticismo curious that made them virtually indistinguishable. Floated a fine irony and cheeky to play wild anachronisms and attitudes that every so often attacked. A few were composed by the Saturnino Calleja, the majority was produced by anonymous writers employees, some of them important, the exact relationship is unknown because the orial files disappeared in the Civil War. Only known for certain Esc mez Jose Munoz, who later developed a hundred gathered in the volume Azul Celeste (1902) Juan Ram n Jim nez in his youth worked in the orial and Jesus Sanchez Tena wrote and illustrated stories for the publisher. Between 1915 and 1928, Calleja Tales came to achieve their highest notes of originality, taste and innovative, under the artistic direction of Salvador Bartolozzi.The orial also published the collection Calleja Pearl, more luxurious. The beads of Calleja were reading all the children who lived in the early decades of the twentieth century. They were stories with small print, with some black and white illustrations and fun content, his reading was enjoyable, fast. Thanks to Calleja, Spanish children met Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Gulliver’s Travels, The Arabian Nights and a whole series of versions of Spanish authors. Invention is the end of his innumerable tales of speaking: “… and were happily ever since I was given because they would not.”