El Punt, February 22th 2003.
Activities: Alexandre Deulofeu’s Centennial.
The centennial of the Figueres citizen Alexandre Deulofeu enables to recover from oblivion this great historian.
The present world situation confirms the theories that he had already upheld forty years ago.
Josep Puigbert. / Figueres.
Another member of the generation of distinguished Figueres citizens, Alexandre Deulofeu, born at the beginning of the twentieth century, has been remembered on Thursday in his home town in an institutional ceremony on the occasion of his birth centennial. Tribute was paid to this great personage —a historian, chemist and former mayor— who belongs to the human assets of the region, but during his life in and beyond the region, as it happened with others of his contemporaries, acknowledgement was denied him.
The importance of Alexandre Deulofeu as historian and human being became quite clear through the words of those who attended the ceremony: Josep Maria Bernils —the town chronicler—, Enric Pujol —historian—, Eduard Puig Vayreda —president of the Institut d’Estudis Empordanesos—, and Juli Gutièrrez —historian and grand-son of the man to whom tribute was being paid—. All of them, besides the mayor, who opened and closed the ceremony, delved deep into the best known features of Deulofeu but, above all, his importance was demonstrated by the fact that the assembly room of the town hall was full of people who had known him. The uniqueness of this character, however, makes it worthwhile to recover him for all those who didn’t come to know him. As pointed out by his grand-son, who has been one of the main specialists in his work, «he is a terrific asset which Figueres and the Empordà cannot afford to lose». But Deulofeu, as it happened with other distinguished citizens of Figueres, was cast into oblivion by the intellectual circles of the country. «In Barcelona his theories were never taken into account, because all the characters of Empordà were regarded as hot-headed and touched by the tramontane (north wind). The intellectuals felt uncomfortable with Deulofeu’s ideas», remarked Puig Vayreda. Time, however, has confirmed them, and the historical circumstances he announced have come to pass: the breaking up of the USSR or Germany’s defeat in the Second World War, and its recovery up to becoming a key piece of present day Europe. All this he explained in his main work La matemàtica de la història. «History has surrendered to Deulofeu, but the country keeps him in oblivion without any justifying cause», pointed out Gutiérrez. Before him, Pujol put him among the most important historians of the 20th century, because he was among the precious few who «cultivated the philosophy of history».
(Published by «El Punt» on 22nd February 2003). © Portal Gironí d’Història i Genealogia (www.bohigas.com).