Anthony Gala
Antonio Gala was a Spanish playwright, novelist, columnist and poet. During his lifetime – and even after his death – he is known for being the favorite son of Andalusia, a community that he loved vehemently. Throughout his career he cultivated all the literary genres that were possible, including: poetry, novel, essay, television script, opera and story. He also carried out journalistic work with controversial articles for El Mundo y El País.
As a writer, Gala enjoyed more affection from her readers than from critics., since the latter never knew how to classify the author's literature. Furthermore, Antonio found himself involved in several controversies for ranting, in his columns, at contemporary and historical figures, of whom he made sardonic mockery to exemplify his points of view.
Biography
Anthony Gala He was baptized with the name of Antonio Ángel Custodio Sergio Alejandro María de los Dolores Queen of the Martyrs of the Holy Trinity and All Saints. His birth took place in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real, but he always felt like he was from Córdoba. The author says that on October 2, 1930, the date of his birth, the priest who baptized him wanted to name him Martín Gala. However, his mother refused, because that name was not well regarded in Spain.
When Gala was nine years old, her family moved to Córdoba, Andalusia. It was there where he began to write his first works. Being a precocious reader and writer, at the age of fourteen he gave a lecture at the Royal Circle of Friendship, the city's Artistic and Literary Lyceum. From an early age he read authors such as Garcilaso, San Juan de la Cruz and Rainer Maria Rilke, developing his historical lyrical style.
Likewise, Antonio Gala entered higher education very early. At the age of fifteen he began studying Law at the University of Seville. On the other hand, he entered the University of Madrid to study Political and Economic Sciences, as well as Philosophy and Letters. Gala graduated from each and every one of these chairs. Despite this, he left the Corps of State Lawyers, and also left the Carthusians.
Later, he moved to Portugal, where he maintained a romantic lifestyle. As for work, he opted to teach Philosophy and Art History classes. In 1963, Antonio Gala was able to dedicate himself completely to writing, after winning a second prize at the Adonáis Prize. This award was awarded to him for his collection of poems Intimate enemy.
A year before that he had the opportunity to live in Florence, Italy. Over there, He collaborated with the weekly magazine Hispano-American Notebooks, where he was able to publish some poems from his anthology The dishonor. As a journalist, he published a collection of articles in El País, a work he carried out from 1976 to 1998. He began as a novel writer in the early nineties, with The crimson monster.
The latter is a historical work, which is inspired by Boabdil, who was the last Nazpoearí king of Granada. Thanks to her, Antonio Gala received the 1990 Planeta Prize. Since then, he wrote several more novels, but he was much more assiduous in creating plays and columns for various publications. For example, one of his jobs consisted of writing opinion pieces for El Mundo from 1992 to 2015.
As passionate about art and culture as he was, Antonio Gala had a dream: to create a center for artists, where he could support, teach and even provide scholarships to these creative minds so that they could become the creators of works of the future. So, In 2002, the Antonio Gala Foundation for Young Creators was born..
There is a curious fact about this house of culture: your motto is a verse of The song of songs. In latin, read the following: Put me ut signaculum super cor tuum, which, in Spanish, translates as “Put me like a seal on your heart".
Works by Antonio Gala
Theater
- The Green Fields of Eden (1963):
- The snail in the mirror (1964);
- The sun in the anthill (1966);
- November and a Little Grass (1967);
- Spain's striptease (1970);
- The Good Morning Lost (1972);
- Good luck, champion! (1973);
- Rings for a Lady (1973);
- The zithers hanging from the trees (1974);
- Why are you running, Ulysses? (1975);
- Petra gifted (1980);
- The Old Lady of Paradise (1980);
- The Bird Cemetery (1982);
- Freedom Trilogy (1983);
- Samarkand (1985);
- The Little Hotel (1985);
- Seneca or the benefit of the doubt (1987);
- Carmen, Carmen (1988);
- Christopher Columbus (1989);
- The Trickster (1992);
- The Beautiful Sleepers (1994);
- Cafe Singing (1997);
- Friday Apples (1999);
- Inés unbuttoned (2003).
Narrative
- The Crimson Manuscript (1990);
- The Turkish Passion (1993);
- Granada of the Nasrids (1994);
- Beyond the Garden (1995);
- The rule of three (1996);
- The Late Heart (1998);
- The Outskirts of God (1999);
- Now I'll Talk About Me (2000);
- The impossible oblivion (2001);
- The guests in the garden (2002);
- The owner of the wound (2003);
- The pedestal of the statues (2007);
- The water papers (2008).
Poetry
- Intimate Enemy (1959);
- The Mistime (1962);
- Meditation in Chaeronea (1965);
- 11 sonnets from Zubia (1981);
- Andalusian Testament (1985);
- Cordoba poems (1994);
- Love Poems (1997);
- Tobías' poem desangelado (2005).
television scripts
- …And in the end, hope (1967);
- Singing of Santiago for all (1971);
- If Stones Could Talk (1972);
- Landscape with figures (1976);
- Thirteen Nights (1999).
Articles
- Text and pretext (1977);
- Talks with Troylo (1981);
- In Own Hand (1985);
- Notebooks of the Lady of Autumn (1985);
- Dedicated to Tobias (1988);
- The Sound Solitude (1989);
- Bows and embrasures (1993);
- To Who Goes With Me (1994);
- Letter to the heirs (1995);
- Embrasures (1996);
- The quiet house (1998).
Most notable books by Antonio Gala
The green fields of Eden (1963)
It is a play that tells the story of Juan, a wanderer who arrives in a small town in search of his grandfather's grave. Since he believes that this is the only place where he belongs, the man turns the pantheon into his new “home,” thus outwitting the authorities.
During the holidays, Juan invites other homeless people to spend time and celebrate together, but the police discover them and arrest the protagonist.
November and a little grass (1967)
play that tells the story of Diego, a former soldier of the Spanish Civil War who, after the end of the battle, lives in isolation for twenty-seven years. His only company is Paula, his partner, and this woman's insane mother.
One day, Paula gives Diego a transistor, at the same time The man discovers that the amnesty decree was approved, so he can leave his refuge. However, at the last minute, Diego gives up on this idea, and Paula loses her sanity.