Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi

Infobox Philosopher
region = Western Philosophy
era = 20th-century philosophy
color = #B0C4DE
name = Jorge Angel Livraga Rizzi
birth = September 3, 1930 (Buenos Aires), Argentina)
death = October 7, 1991 (Madrid, Spain)
school_tradition = Esotericism, Theosophy, Neoplatonism, Humanism
influences = Plato, Giordano Bruno, Madame Blavatsky, Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa, Nilakanta Sri Ram, Ruben Dario, Octavio Paz

Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi is an argentinian poet, novelist, philosopher, essayist, educator and lecturer of Italian heritage best know for having founded and directed New Acropolis, an international philosophical educational and cultural organisation. He was an academic member of the International Philo-Byzantine Academy and University(IPHBAU) and the International Burckhardt Academy (Italy), a knight of the Real Orden de San Ildefonso y San Atilano, and a recipient of the silver cross from the Société Académique Arts Sciences Lettres (France) [cite news| title = Biography of Jorge Livraga| work = Baklabra.net website| url = http://www.bakalabra.net/acropol/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=125 | accessdate = 2008-03-25]

His works have been translated into several languages, titles in English include the novels 'The Alchemist' and 'Ankor, the Last Prince of Atlantis', as well as 'The Spirits of Nature' and 'Thebes', two studies on esotericism.

He was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on September 3rd, 1930 and died in Madrid on October 7th, 1991.

Biography

His mother, Victoria Rizzi, and his father, Ángel Livraga, an industrial engineer, were of Italian origin whose families had emigrated to Argentina in the late 1800s; (Livraga himself would later gain Italian citizenship). Livraga's father passed away when he was 15, and this lead to a spiritual crisis, where, via his English teacher, he eventually came into contact with the Argentine Theosophical Society in the early fifties. [cite news| title = About the founder of NA| work = New Acropolis Uruguay website| url = http://www.acropolis.org.uy/QuienesSomos/JAL.asp | accessdate = 2008-03-29] , With his partner Ada Albrecht, he became recognized in theosophical circles as a charismatic teacher and lecturer. [cite news| title = Theosophy talk| work =archives | url = http://www.theos-talk.com/archives/months/TK199802.TXT | accessdate = 2008-03-28]

He entered the history and history of art faculty of Buenos Aires university and later the Medical Faculty. He had the opportunity to correspond with Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa and on the occasion of a South American visit, to the meet with Nilakanta Sri Ram, both being presidents of the Theosophical Society. [cite news| title = Martinez text| work =the story of the founder of NA| url = http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/liv-gb.htm| accessdate = 2008-03-29] He also cultivated poetry and, in 1951, won the Argentine National Poetry Prize with his book “Lotuses”.

In 1956, he founded the magazine “Estudios Teosóficos” and in 1957, with Ada Albrecht, founded New Acropolis, an association intended to promote Philosophy, along the lines of the classical Schools of Philosophy, such as Plato’s Academy. Livraga began to expand New Acropolis to other Latin American countries: Uruguay, Chili (in 1965) [cite news| title = About NA| work = New Acropolis Chili website| url = http://www.nueva-acropolischile.org/que_es_na.html | accessdate = 2008-03-29] , Perú, Brasil and Bolivia. [cite news| title = About the founder of NA| work = New Acropolis Uruguay website| url = http://www.acropolis.org.uy/QuienesSomos/JAL.asp | accessdate = 2008-03-29] Livraga's activities during this period consisted in writing the extensive course manuals which extends to seven cycles (the manuals cover such topics as psychology, eastern and western wisdom, theological sympbolism, oratory, history of philosophy, comparative religions, philosophy of science, metaphysics and esthetics, human evolution, cosmic evolution, astrology,and others) [cite news| title = Study program| work = New Acropolis UK website| url = http://www.newacropolisuk.org/Courses.php | accessdate = 2008-03-27] , as well teaching classes and giving public lectures.

In 1972, Livraga moved to Spain, to establish New Acropolis centers in Europe. At that time, two of his Argentinian students, Delia Steinberg Guzman and Fernand Schwarz, opened centers in Spain and in France, respectively. In 1981, Albrecht left New Acropolis to form her own organisation, Hastinapura. [cite news| title = Martinez text| work =the story of the founder of NA| url = http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/liv-gb.htm| accessdate = 2008-03-29] New Acropolis has continued to expand and is present in over fifty countries across Europe, America and Asia. [cite news| title = Biography of Jorge Livraga| work = New Acropolis International website| url = http://www.acropolis.org/about/Jorge-Angel-Livraga.aspx?lang=eng/| accessdate = 2008-03-21]

Livraga's role as international coordinator of New Acropolis led him to travel extensively, giving various lectures, workshops and meetings. He also maintained a busy writing schedule, contributing at least one article to Spain's New Acropolis magazine per month (for the first 200 issues, approximately) as well as continuing to write special instructional manuals. He also had an interest in archeology, regularly organizing private expeditions and maintained a collection housed in a private museum, the Rodrigo Caro Museum. [cite news| title = Martinez text| work =the story of the founder of NA| url = http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/liv-gb.htm| accessdate = 2008-03-29] After his death, his natal home in Buenos Aires was converted into a museum in his name. [cite news| title = About the founder of NA| work = New Acropolis Spain website| url = http://www.nueva-acropolis.es/NuevaAcropolis/fundador.htm | accessdate = 2008-03-29]

elected works (original spanish editions)

* Lotos, poesias- Olga Albrecht, Ada Dolores Albrecht, Jorge Angel Livraga - 1952 - Rossi editora

* Ankor, El Discipulo - (A novel about spiritual initiation in Atlantis)- 1972 - Cunillera. Nuevas Ciencias.

* El Alqimista - (a novel about alchemy) 1974 - ISBN-10: 8423000419 - ISBN-13: 9788423000418 - Editorial Cunillera

* Manual de primer curso: [ética, socio-política, filosofía de la historia] - Madrid : Nueva Acrópolis, D.L. 1978. ISBN 84-300-0173-5

* Moassy El Perro - (a novel about society)- 1980 - Nueva Acrópolis

* Cartas a Delia y Fernando - (philosophical work) Madrid : Nueva Acròpolis, 1981. ISBN 84-300-4075-7

* Pensamientos - (a collection of quotations)- 1982 -Nueva Acrópolis - ISBN 8485982029

* Ideario - vols. I, II & III - (A compilation of magazine articles)

* Los espíritus elementales de la naturaleza (The elemental spirits of nature, an esoteric study) - Madrid : Nueva Acrópolis, D.L. 1985. ISBN 84-85982-19-3

* Tebas - (Thebes, a study of Egypt) Valencia : Nueva Acrópolis, D.L. 1986. ISBN 84-85982-26-6

* Jorge Ángel Livraga. El teatro Mistérico en Grecia I. La Tragedia. (A study of ancient Greek theater) Ed. NA -1987 -Editorial Nueva Acrópolis - ISBN 8485982282
* Magia, Religion y Ciencia para el tercer Milenio I, II,III & IV- (a collection of lecture transcripts) 1995 - Nueva Acropolis, A.C.-ISBN 8485982614

References

External links

* [http://www.acropolis.org/about/jal.aspx?lang=eng Livraga's biography on acropolis.org]
* [http://jalarticles.blogspot.com English articles by Jorge Livraga]

Critical Links

* [http://www.kelebekler.com/cesnur/txt/liv-gb.htm Miguel Martínez] - A former member of New Acropolis.