AmicsUAB deeply regrets the passing of José Manuel Blecua Perdices, a philologist, Professor of Spanish Language and one of the most significant figures in the history of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, who passed away on May 29.
Tied to the UAB from its inception, Blecua was part of that generation of teachers and intellectuals who decisively helped build the University as we understand it today: open, rigorous, committed to knowledge, and with a clear vocation for public service. His academic and institutional career left a profound mark on the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, the Publications Service, the UAB Libraries, and on so many generations of students and professors who found in him a demanding, generous, and approachable teacher.
His influence extended far beyond the University. A full member and director of the Royal Spanish Academy from 2011 to 2014, José Manuel Blecua was one of the great voices of philology and the study of language, with an eye always attentive to the value of words, the transmission of knowledge, and the dialogue between tradition and modernity.
For AmicsUAB, however, his memory also carries a deeply personal dimension. José Manuel Blecua Perdices was a founding member of the association and held AmicsUAB membership card number two, a fact that expresses better than any other his closeness to the project and his commitment to the university community. He was part of our history from the very beginning, not just as a prominent name, but as a presence tied to the values that have given meaning to the organization: his affection for UAB, his defense of knowledge, and his commitment to keeping the bond between the University and society alive.
In 2019, AmicsUAB awarded him the Friends of the Libraries Award, jointly with the UAB Libraries Service, in recognition of his contribution to the University's bibliographic heritage and his generosity towards the UAB Libraries. That award sought to highlight not only an exceptional academic career, but also a way of understanding culture as a shared legacy, as a collective responsibility, and as an act of trust in future generations.
Today, from AmicsUAB, we want to express our most sincere gratitude for all that José Manuel Blecua contributed to the University, to the language, to culture, and to our association. His mentorship, his humanity, and his institutional commitment will continue to be part of UAB's living memory.
Rest in peace, Professor Blecua. Thank you for being, from the very beginning, a friend of the University.
