George Washington Montgomery

Background

George Washington Montgomery was the son of John Montgomery. He was born in Alicante, Spain, where the father was a well-known American merchant. His mother was probably Spanish.

Education

Montgomery was educated at Exeter, in England.

Career

Returning to Spain, Montgomery passed his entire life, in that country and in America, in the consular and diplomatic services of the United States. Montgomery had been before 1826, private secretary in Madrid to the Marquis of Casa Yrujo, a friend of Irving's, but during the two years of Irving's first stay in Madrid, he was attached to the American legation, apparently as official translator. This intimacy with Irving led to his creating and publishing the first version of the writings of this author into Spanish, thus beginning a long list of translations, and laying the foundation for Irving's reputation in Spain. The first was a book, now exceedingly rare, called Tareas de un Solitario (1829). It included versions of "The Young Italian, " "The Mutability of Literature, " and "Rip Van Winkle. " Called to account because the last story seemed to the Spanish censor to smack of "libel and treason against the King, " Montgomery issued the book anonymously. It was remarkable for its pure and beautiful Spanish, and Longfellow introduced it into Bowdoin College for use in his classes. Its interest lies, however, in its sympathetic interpretation to the Spaniards of Irving's romantic themes. In 1831, Montgomery published his Crónica de la Conquista de Granada, an adaptation of Irving's book of similar title, and, in 1832, his El Bastardo de Castilla, a historical novel based upon the story of Bernardo del Carpio. "His Spanish works, " says Obadiah Rich, the bibliographer, who also knew Montgomery in Madrid, "met with great applause in Spain, for the classical purity of their language, and have been adopted by many Spanish teachers as class books". It is probable that Montgomery planned to continue his translations of Irving and possibly of other American writers, but in December 1835, he was appointed United States consul at San Juan, Puerto Rico, and three years later, he was sent from Washington to Guatemala. Afterward, as consul at Tampico, he incurred ill health which caused his death, at Washington, in 1841. During these last years, he served intermittently in the Department of State as copier and indexer. Two years before his death appeared his Narrative of a Journey to Guatemala, a book reemphasizing by its strong, clear English, Montgomery's odd but remarkable bilingual powers as an obscure man of letters.

Achievements

• Montgomery will be remembered chiefly for his definite and curious services to American literature in connection with Spain and Washington Irving.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Bernardo Del Carpio: An Historical Novel of the Eighth Century

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • Illustrations of the Law of Kindness

    (This is a reproduction of a classic text optimised for ki...)

  • Narrative of a Journey to Guatemala, in Central America, in 1838

    (This is a reproduction of a classic text optimised for ki...)

Connections

There is no information about his personal life.

Father:

John Montgomery

References

• A Critical Dictionary of English Literature and British and American Authors Living and Deceased V1: From the Earliest Accounts to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century Abb to Duf Part Two (Paperback) - Common