Antonio Gala: The Biography Of A Genius Of Words
It is not easy to write an article on Antonio Gala. We will still try to approach the life and work of this magician of words. A master of the alchemy of language who knows how to put emotions, landscapes, stories, flavors and colors on his words like no other.
Antonio Gala’s books are a part of the lives of many people. The writer undoubtedly holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many of us. Through his work, he knew how to reach our soul and illuminate our present like no other in history.
Antonio Gala has an innate talent for giving everyday life a poetic dimension, sometimes sublime, sometimes heartbreaking. The stories, characters, gardens, towns and landscapes described by Gala are so detailed they seem real. It is as if we had really been there. In this article, we will try to pay tribute to him and review his experiences and his wonderful work.
The life of Antonio Gala
Antonio Gala was born in 1930 in a small town near Ciudad Real in Spain. After spending his childhood in his hometown, his family moved to Cordoba when he was nine years old. Gala began to write at a very young age and since then has shown a definite talent for letters.
At the age of fifteen, he then began to study law at the University of Seville. He will also obtain degrees in philosophy, arts and political and economic sciences at the University of Madrid. There is no doubt that he was an academically gifted young man with many interests.
At the end of his studies, it seems that Antonio Gala went through a period of rebellion directed against his father. The latter dreamed of his son becoming a state prosecutor. But Gala gave up this idea to join monastic life with the Carthusian order. However, his rebellious character later cost him to be expelled from this religious order.
After becoming an adult, Antonio Gala lived in different cities and in different countries. He started his career in teaching until he decided on literature. In 1959, he moved to Portugal as a professor of philosophy and art history. He combines this activity with poetry and begins a brilliant career in the world of journalism and theater.
His artistic beginnings
Soon after, he moved to Florence, where he continued to write poetry and publish it regularly. However, in the early sixties, he began to have serious health problems. Indeed, his health deteriorates enormously and Gala even passes very close to death. This episode will force him to use a cane for the rest of his life. A cane that will therefore be part of its identity.
His notoriety as a professional writer was further established when he began to publish weekly articles in the Spanish newspaper El País. Finally, in 1990, he published his first novel The Purple Manuscript , which earned him the Planeta Prize . His literary production then becomes considerable. It touches almost all genres. This ranges from poetry, to novels, to essays, to journalism, through theater but also to television scripts.
The work of Antonio Gala
All the work of Antonio Gala is characterized by great lyricism. Thus, in the 1950s, his work was marked by two collections of poems which stood out particularly. They are called The Intimate Enemy and The Dishonor.
Later, a period of dramaturgy will begin with The Green Gardens of Eden . This production has won several awards and uses the metaphorical tone in a masterful way.
This play was followed by many others of the same genre, depicting the reality of Spain at the time. With a certain moralizing and critical character, Gala, through metaphors, often leads the viewer to better understand the time in which he lives.
In 1985, as his screenplay production continued, he made his television debut with Landscapes and Historical Figures . This television series allowed millions of Spaniards to take an interest in history for the first time. The series describes the important historical figures of Spain through whom the present identity of this country has been forged. It is a program which therefore inspired many young Spaniards and which aroused in many a great interest in bibliographical reading and in history.
Already in the 1990s, Antonio Gala turned to storytelling. He thus published unforgettable books such as The Purple Manuscript , The Turkish Passion and The Rule of Three . Three works that deal with feminine eroticism in a poetic way and with the finest of sensibilities. After publishing these manuscripts, Gala continued to write to finally publish his masterpiece: The Suburbs of God .
The power of words
Thanks to cognitive science, we now know that deep reading is a much more rewarding experience for humans than just verbal communication. Reading Antonio Gala is immersive, complex in emotion and detail. It challenges us with ourselves and with the world. She finally talks to us about what dwells in the soul.
Her work reflects the power of struggle, of love, of heartbreaking experiences that enrich the mind and reason. It shows us how much human suffering is underestimated as a path to knowledge. He describes the pain of personal battles yet to be won. But also the perplexity and the fearful emptiness of the cheap blows of life. The pride that emotional scars represent when they have been healed. In short, he tells us about this worn-out life of being lived.
Antonio Gala’s books, his literary production but also his mastery of weaving words, life and ideas are like little magic seeds. Beyond the incredible pleasure produced by their reading, they leave something much deeper in the reader. Something that pays off much later and forever.
Our thoughts Discover the magical effect of reading on our brain from a scientific point of view. What effect can a novel have on the neural level …
