Biography book "does not reflect reality," says culture minister

Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde on Monday jumped into the fray over the Diccionario Biográfico Español, a new compendium of biographies of Spanish personalities that, she said, "does not reflect reality."

The minister decried the "extremely scarce presence of women," who represent only eight percent of the biographies, and said she trusted that the Royal Academy of History would revise the first 25 volumes as well as the online version to make them more contemporary.

"There is an important field where improvements can be made," said González-Sinde. The Spanish Biographical dictionary has received 6.4 million euros in government subsidies since 1999.

Several prestigious historians who were not involved with the project said that the vision offered by the Diccionario of some historical figures is biased. Franco, for instance, is described as "Generalísimo or Head of State," rather than a dictator.

The dictionary brings together more than 40,000 biographies of leading individuals in all the fields of knowledge and all historical periods. Over 5,000 specialists participated in the project.

González-Sinde said that because the Royal Academy of History is "a rigorous institution," it will carry out "a good review" of its magnum opus, otherwise "it will cease being attractive to readers and as a tool for research."

The academy director, Gonzalo Anes, stated that responsibility for each biography falls to its author, and that "it is very difficult to achieve absolute objectivity" when it comes to people closer in time to us. "The Academy is not a censor nor is it responsible for the contents of each and every biography."