''Celia, lo que dice'' (''"What Celia Says"'' or literally, ''"Celia, What She Says"'') is the first in the series of

children's novel Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

s by Spanish author

Elena Fortún María de la Encarnación Gertrudis Jacoba Aragoneses y de Urquijo (17 November 1886 in Madrid – 8 May 1952 in Madrid) was a Spanish author of children's literature who wrote under the pen name Elena Fortún. She became famous for ''Celia, ...

. The novel is a collection of short stories first published in magazines in

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

. The stories, which were written from the perspective of a seven-year-old girl named Celia Gálvez de Montalbán, narrated the life of the protagonist living in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...

with her family. Celia, who was an extremely popular character from her first appearance through the 1960s, was characterized as a girl who often questioned the world around her in ways that were both ingenuous and

innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relatio ...

. The novel was followed by several sequels through the 1930s and the 1950s, the last one published in 1987, thirty-five years after the death of the author. The first of these sequels was ''

Celia en el colegio ''Celia en el colegio'' (''"Celia at the school"'' or ''"Celia at school"'') is the second in the series of ''Celia'' novels by Elena Fortún. The books told the stories of a little girl named Celia living in Spain during the 1930s. In this secon ...

'', first published in 1932. The series were both popular and successful during the time following their publication and are today considered

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a '' ...

s of

Spanish literature Spanish literature generally refers to literature ( Spanish poetry, prose, and drama) written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the Kingdom of Spain. Its development coincides and frequently intersects wit ...

. The first three novels were adapted for television in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, in a series produced by

José Luis Borau José Luis Borau Moradell (8 August 1929 – 23 November 2012) was a Spanish producer, screenwriter, writer, and film director. He won the Goya Award for Best Director in 2000 for '' Leo''. Borau was born in Zaragoza. In addition to directin ...

entitled '' Celia'', which starred Cristina Cruz Mínguez in the title role.

References

External links

Elena Fortún: Su vida, su obra
- Website dedicated to author Elena Fortún, featuring her full biography. (Spanish) * 1929 novels Spanish children's novels Works originally published in Spanish magazines Novels set in Madrid 1929 children's books {{1920s-child-novel-stub