Antonio Gala Velasco (born 2 October 1930) is a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist and writer.

Life and career

Gala was born in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real ( Castile-La Mancha), although he moved very soon to Córdoba and is widely considered an

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

n. 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 Vicente Aranda Ezquerra (; 9 November 1926 – 26 May 2015) was a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. Due to his refined and personal style, he was one of the most renowned Spanish filmmakers. He started as a founding member ...

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.

Political views

During the Spanish transition to democracy (1976 to the early 1980s) Gala publicly defended leftist political view points while not linked to a specific political party. In 1978 he called for a statute of autonomy for

. In 1981 he was named president of the Spanish-Arab Friendship Association, and fulfilled this role for the first years of existence of this association. Around the same time he joined the Spain-USSR Friendship Society. He was the president of the civic platform that defended the "no" to Spain's permanence in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, in the 1986

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. In July 2014, during Israel's military operation in Gaza, Gala was accused of

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

because of an article published in the newspaper ''El Mundo'' with the following quote: :No matter what the Jews call their civil or military leaders, they end up creating problems for everyone: it is ancient history. Now it is Gaza's turn to suffer their abuses .It's not strange that they have been so frequently expelled. What is surprising, is that they persist. Either they are not good, or someone is poisoning them. I am not a racist. The "Comunidad Judía de Madrid" (Jewish Community of Madrid) filed a lawsuit against him on discrimination, incitement to hatred and insult to the feelings of the members of a religious community and slander."UPyD takes the complaint against Gala by the Jewish Community to the European Court"
(26 July 2014) ''LaVanguardia'' He is the president of the Antonio Gala Foundation in the city of Córdoba, Spain.

References

External links

Some poems by GalaAntonio Gala's Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gala, Antonio 1930 births Living people Spanish novelists Spanish male novelists 20th-century Spanish poets 20th-century Spanish male writers People from Ciudad Real Spanish male poets LGBT writers from Spain Bisexual writers 21st-century LGBT people

Life and career

Political views

See also

References

External links