Antonio Gala
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Antonio Gala
(1936– ) Spanish poet, novelist, and playwright. A popular author, Gala has had a love–hate relationship with the theatre. Berated by many critics for their sentimentalism and, in the Francoist period, persecuted by the censors, Gala's plays have nonetheless drawn large audiences which, in general, have responded favourably to their blend of social critique and emotional and lyrical intensity. His first success was Los verdes campos del Edén (The Green Fields of Eden), often associated with the ‘poetic’ wing of the new Spanish realism, which earned its author the Premio Nacional Calderón de la Barca in 1963. The popularity of the play was matched a few years later by that of El sol en el hormiguero (Sunshine in the Ant's Nest), a variation on the theme of the great theatre of the world, and Noviembre y un poco de hierba (November and a Bit of Grass), a daring indictment of the Spanish Civil War. After winning the Premio Nacional de Teatro in 1972 for Los buenos días perdidos (The Good Days Are Gone), which ran for over 1,000 performances, Gala retired briefly from the stage only to return in 1979 with Petra Regalada and, six years later, Samarkanda, a semi-autobiographical piece which deals with the theme of repressed homosexuality.
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Antonio Gala
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Antonio Gala Velasco (born 2 October 1936) is a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist and writer.
Biography
Gala was born in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real (Castile-La Mancha), although he moved very soon to Córdoba and is widely considered an Andalusian.
A graduate in law, philosophy, politics and economics, he has written in a wide variety of genres, including journalism, short stories, essays and television scripts. He has been awarded several prizes, not only within the field of poetry but also for his contributions to theatre and opera.
Gala's work has been more appreciated by his readership than by the critics, who find it hard to classify it due to its particular blend of lyricism and epic.
Among his most successful plays are Los verdes campos del Edén (The Green Fields of Eden, National Theatre Prize "Calderón de la Barca" 1963), Anillos para una dama (Rings for a Lady, 1973), ¿Por qué corres, Ulises? (Why do you run, Ulysses?, 1975), Petra Regalada (1980), Samarkanda (1985), Carmen, Carmen (1988) and La truhana (The rogue, 1992).
Among his collections of poetry are Sonetos de La Zubia (La Zubia Sonets), Poemas de amor (Love Poems), Testamento Andaluz (Andalusian Will) and Enemigo íntimo (Intimate Enemy, Adonais Prize 1959).
He started to write novels late in life, but he obtained an overwhelming success with El manuscrito carmesí (The Crimson Manuscript, Planeta Prize 1990), Águila Bicéfala (Two-Headed Eagle, 1994), La regla de tres (The Rule of Three, 1996) and La pasión turca (Turkish Passion, 1993), adapted for the cinema by Spanish director Vicente Aranda and Más allá del Jardín (Beyond the Garden, 1995), adapted by Pedro Olea.
Gala's literature is marked by historic issues, which are used more to lighten the present than to deepen in the past.
He is the current president of the International Theatre Institute.
See also
External links
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Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance
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Mentioned in
Mas Alla del Jardin
(1997 Drama Film)
La Pasion Turca
(1995 Drama Film)
Spanish literature
(literature, Spain)
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