| Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1929 Boconó, Trujillo state |
| Died | June 14, 2011 (aged 82) |
| Occupation | Writer, literary critic, essayist |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Genres | Literary criticism, essay |
| Subjects | Literature, Life and work of Andrés Bello |
| Notable work(s) | Del ser y del quehacer de Julio Garmendia |
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Oscar Sambrano Urdaneta (February 6, 1929 - June 14, 2011[1]) was a Venezuelan writer, essayist and literary critic, specialized in the life and work of Andrés Bello.
Sambrano Urdaneta was born at the town of Boconó, Trujillo state. Arrives to Caracas during his youth, studying at the National Pedagogical Institute and the Central University of Venezuela, graduating as Doctor of Literature.[2]
In the 1940s, thanks to writer Pedro Grases, Urdaneta was designated as member of the group in charge of the selection of the complete works of Andrés Bello, presided by Rafael Caldera.[3] Since that, Urdaneta was involved in the literary world, admiring and approaching the work of Andrés Bello. Between 1959 and 1978, was professor at the National Pedagogical Institute and between 1965 until 1990 at the Central University of Venezuela. He was director of the La Casa de Bello Foundation (Andrés Bello Institute), from 1977 for more than 20 years, was chief editor of the National Magazine of Culture (1959–1963) and director of collections like Biblioteca Popular Venezolana and Tricolor, also was a member of the consultative council for Biblioteca Ayacucho and the publishing Monte Ávila Editores.[4]
In 1978, he won the Municipal Prize of Literature for the work Poesía contemporánea de Venezuela. In 1984 he got an individual number at the Venezuelan Academy of Language, being its president until 2009. He is also an honorary member of the Caro y Cuervo Institute of Bogotá. During the second government of Rafael Caldera (1994–1999), he was president of the National Council of Culture (CONAC), and in 2003 was a member of the committee in tribute to Andrés Eloy Blanco.
From 2006 was the conductor of the cultural TV program Valores (Values), transmitted by Vale TV; the main theme of this space is the learning of Venezuelan culture in all its dimensions, ans was named in memory of Venezuelan writer Arturo Uslar Pietri and his TV program Valores Humanos (Human Values).[3] In June, 2008, he proposed to the Venezuelan academy of language the creation of a linguistic and literary research center.[5]