José Mindlin

Infobox Person
name = José Ephim Mindlin


image_size =
caption = José Mindlin
birth_name =
birth_date = birth date and age|1914|09|08|
birth_place = São Paulo, Brazil
residence =
nationality = Brazillian
other_names =
known_for =
education =
employer =
occupation = Lawyer, Businessperson
height =
spouse = Guita Mindlin (died 2006)
partner =
children =
relatives =


website =
footnotes =

José Ephim Mindlin (born 8 September 1914 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a lawyer, businessperson and bibliophile, born to Ukrainian Jewish parents. [ [http://www.cremesp.com/index.php?siteAcao=Revista&id=286 :: CREMESP - Conselho Regional de Medicina do Estado de São Paulo ] ] He is the owner of the largest private library in Latin America, with more than 38,000 titles. A large number (about half) of the collection was donated to the University of São Paulo in May 2006, mostly regarding Brazilian studies. A building will be built in the university's campus specifically to maintain this massive library, and will be named after the Guita and José Mindlin Foundation, who made the donation. Mindlin said he wants to keep the library alive through the continuous growth of the collection and scientific contributions by academics.

Son of dentist Ephim Mindlin and of Fanny Mindlin, both born in Odessa, he graduated from the University of São Paulo law school. He worked as a lawyer for 15 years, until he founded with some friends Metal Leve, an automobile piston company, who later became a larger international player in the automobile parts industry. After years of successful management of the firm as a Director, the opening of the Brazilian markets in the 1990s has reduced Metal Leve's profits, and he and his business associates had to sell the firm in 1996 to German firm Mahle Group.

After retiring from the business world, Mindlin was able to dedicate his time to a passion he had since he was 13: collecting and preserving rare books. The first rare edition in his collection was "Discours sur l'Histoire universelle", by Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, published in 1740.

In 20 June 2006, Mindlin was elected member of the Academia Brasileira de Letras, occupying chair number 29, left open since the death of Brazilian author Josué Montello.

He was also a member of the Vitae Foundation and is the editor of Edusp publishing firm.

Mindlin was married to Guita Mindlin, who died in 2006 [ [http://txt.estado.com.br/editorias/2006/06/26/ger-1.93.7.20060626.10.1.xml " Guita Mindlin, amiga dos livros, morre aos 89 anos"] , published in "O Estado de S.Paulo" 26 June 2006, retrieved 9 Sept 2007] , and they had 4 children and 11 grandchildren.

References

External links

* [http://leginf.uspnet.usp.br/resol/r5172m.htm Articles of Incorporation of the Guita and José Mindlin Library]
* [http://www.vitae.org.br Vitae Foundation]
* [http://www.edusp.com.br/ Edusp (University of São Paulo Press)]
* [http://www.academia.org.br/abl/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?sid=546 José Mindlin at the Academia Brasileira de Letras]
* [http://www.usp.br/prc/calendario/sumario.php?link=6&mes=junho Interview with José Mindlin]
* [http://www.bravonline.com.br/noticias.php?id=2505 Bravo! magazine interview]
* [http://veja.abril.com.br/idade/exclusivo/250804/livros_recomendados.html 100 books recommended by Jose Mindlin]
* [http://www.terra.com.br/istoe/biblioteca/brasileiro/empreendedor/emp14.htm Isto É magazine]