In the main square we met Carlos Elías Lúquez Carrillo who had arrived from Bogotá, where he resides, to spend the days of Holy Week with his family. With enthusiasm he gave us the good news of his third, and last, book on the philosopher Rafael Carrillo. We took advantage of the opportunity and invited him to the offices of EL PILÓN to have a short conversation about the matter and interview the author of this work.
Redaction: Carlos, the first thing I should ask you is when is your book in bookstores in the country.
Carlos Lúquez: I think the book should come out at the end of this month of March or at the beginning of April. I have already done the necessary revision and corrections, so all that remains is for the Ibáñez publishing house to print and distribute it.
You have insisted on making known the work of Maestro Carrillo, what does he bring us in this new publication.
That’s right, with the doubt that I had had that all of his written work was not in his book “Philosophical Writings” and with information that I obtained in 2021 about a letter sent by the philosopher to his brother Antonio Francisco in July 1933 with which I attached the literary supplement of the newspaper “El País” of Bogotá that was circulating at that time, and where I told you that it was the first thing I had written that year, I took on the task of searching for other writings, whether about the one he announced to his brother, he had written at that time.
And what was that search like?
Well, the first thing I did was visit the two most important libraries in Bogotá, the National Library and the Luís Ángel Arango. In both I found the newspaper “El País” from Bogotá and its supplement called “Crónica Literaria”. In that supplement I found what Carrillo had written in the years 1932 to 1934 and also a philosophical controversy that he engaged in 1934 in his column “Altura de los facts” – hence the name of the book -, with the writer Jorge Rodríguez Páramo, who just like the teacher did philosophy readings. Carrillo persisted in that vocation and Rodríguez Páramo apparently abandoned it.
Interesting. What importance do you give to your research?
Well, as a result of our research, we found some writings that all of us who have dealt with his work, particularly the written one, were unaware of, no one had referenced them, which means that we were unaware of them. From there, the most important thing, I think, is that they confirm, in my opinion, having been the father, having begun to introduce the study of modern and contemporary philosophy into the country, making a break with the scholastic, neo-Thomistic philosophy that predominated at that time. It is not his only legacy, but it is the one that we must highlight.
Can you tell us the name of some of those writings.
Carrillo’s first philosophical writing is from October 1932, it is called “Art as a Pure Idea”, where he talks to us about the metaphysics of art in Schopenhauer, this means that Carrillo’s first occupation was with the philosophy of art or aesthetics, and not as we believed it had been with the philosophy of science. But earlier in 1931, in a magazine called “El Grafico”, he had begun to discuss books of universal literature. In this magazine he published “Virgilio in Latin America”. I was surprised to find this writing on microfilm in the National Library.
What else did you find about Maestro Carrillo.
Well, I got another surprise. The National Library has in custody a cassette that contains a conversation between two philosophers, Rafael Carrillo and Rubén Jaramillo Vélez, from 1983. And it was a surprise because I believed, and had expressed it to some friends, that there was no record of their voice. After complying with some legal requirements that the Library required of me, and demonstrating familiarity, I was able to obtain a copy of that recording.
That should be an interesting conversation.
Yes it is, and it is part of the history of philosophy in Colombia, because it talks about his philosophical activity, his impulses, which he says he did not have, everything started from himself; of his stay at the University of Heidelberg; He informs us, having listened to two great philosophers like Jasper at the University of Basel – Switzerland and Heidegger at the University of Freiburg. He also tells us about the setbacks when he was director of the Institute of Philosophy and Letters of the National University and the political regime of the time, among other topics.
Carlos, how do you listen to that recording?
Well, let’s wait a while to hear it. In any case, I make the transcription in the book of that conversation, but for those who never met him, at least hearing his voice is stimulating.
Have you already read Gabo’s latest work?
Of course, brilliant as always, with beautiful language, he revealed his tastes for some literary works and his musical tastes. After having read ‘See you in August’, we are now looking forward to the second Felva book fair, so we will see you in June.
By Editorial Culture EL PILÓN
