Fermín Chávez

Fermín Chávez (Nogoyá 13 July 1924 – 28 May 2006) was an Argentine historian, poet and journalist, born in El Pueblito, a small town near Nogoyá, province of Entre Ríos. He studied humanities in Córdoba, philosophy in Buenos Aires, and devoted three years to the study of theology, canon law, archaeology and Ancient Hebrew in Cuzco, Peru.

Under the rule of Juan Perón (1946–1955) he was a militant Justicialist, close to Eva Perón, whom he met in 1950. He joined the Peronist cause along with other Catholic intellectuals, like his friend José María Castiñeira de Dios. He then formed part of the resistance to those who ousted Perón in 1955, and was a member of the delegation that returned with Perón to Argentina after his exile in Spain, in 1973.

His journalistic career started in 1947 the nationalistic newspaper "Tribuna". He wrote in Peronist publications and in the newspapers "La Capital" (Rosario), "La Opinión", "Mayoría", and "Clarín". He also collaborated with magazines, dictionaries and encyclopedias; in 1949 founded the poetry maganize "Nombre", and in 1967, "Ahijuna". He was the press chief of the state oil company YPF from 1970 to 1973, and worked in the official press of the city of Buenos Aires during the administration of General José Embrioni, since 1973. He was also a History of Education in the Philosophy faculty of the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

As a revisionist, he questioned the traditional, "official" version of Argentine history, such as the view of founding fathers as flawless, unquestionable idols. He wrote more than 40 books about different aspects of this history, including some about "caudillos", Peronism, and Che Guevara, and supervised an edition of the complete works of Juan Perón. He also completed José María Rosa's "Historia argentina". In 2004 he published a "History and Anthology of Gauchesque Poetry".

Chávez died in 2006 at the age of 81, in Buenos Aires, after being hospitalized due to heart problems.

ources

* Página/12, 29 May 2006. [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/espectaculos/2-2676-2006-05-29.html "El refutador de la historia oficial"] .
* La Nación, 29 May 2006. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/809870 "Falleció el historiador Fermín Chávez"] .