Amada Elsa López Rodríguez (born 17 January 1943) is a Spanish

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

specializing in

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

Biography

Amada Elsa López Rodríguez was born and lived in Fernando Poo (now

Bioko Bioko (; ; ; historically known as Fernando Pó, ) is an island of Equatorial Guinea. It is located south of the coast of Cameroon, and northwest of the northernmost part of mainland Equatorial Guinea. Malabo, on the north coast of the is ...

), Equatorial Guinea until 1947, the year she moved to the island of

La Palma La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. La Pa ...

, Canary Islands. In 1955 she moved to Madrid where she began Baccalaureate studies. In 1965 she obtained a licentiate in Philosophy from the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

and, after a year as a professor of Spanish Literature in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Switzerland, in 1966 she became a professor at the liberal in Madrid, successor to the

Institución Libre de Enseñanza The Institución Libre de Enseñanza (ILE, English: ''Free Teaching Institution'') was a pedagogical experience developed in Spain for more than half a century (1876–1939). It was inspired by the Krausism, Krausist philosophy introduced at the Co ...

. In 1972 she started teaching at different institutes of secondary education, obtaining a doctorate in Philosophy and Literature in 1980, and in 1982 the Chair of Philosophy at the in Madrid, where she taught until 1993. From 1987 to 1989 she chaired the Literature Section of the

Ateneo de Madrid The Ateneo de Madrid ("Athenæum of Madrid") is a private cultural institution located in the capital of Spain that was founded in 1835. Its full name is ''Ateneo Científico, Literario y Artístico de Madrid'' ("Scientific, Literary and Artistic ...

and directed the Siddharth Mehta publishing house, creating her own publishing house in 1989, Ediciones La Palma. In 1993 López received the First José Pérez Vidal Research Prize and moved to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

on a commission to direct and coordinate the government projects ''El Papel de Canarias'' (1993) and ''Memoria de las islas'' (1994–2000). That same year she founded the Casa de Jorós ethnographic museum and popular art center in Santa Cruz de La Palma. From 2002 to 2006 she directed the Antonio Gala Foundation for Young Creators. She was dismissed because of disagreements with

Antonio Gala Antonio Gala Velasco (2 October 1930 – 28 May 2023) was a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist, and writer. Life and career Antonio Ángel Custodio Gala y Velasco was born on 2 October 1930 in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real ( Castile-La Mancha), a ...

, although the writer had previously announced that she wanted to leave the position. She currently directs Ediciones La Palma and Promoción Cero. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, such as the City of Melilla International Poetry Award in 1987 and the First José Pérez Vidal Research Prize in 1993, and has been included in several anthologies and translated into different languages.

Awards

* City of Melilla International Poetry Award, 1987 * Rosa de Damasco International Poetry Award, 1989 * First José Pérez Vidal Research Prize, 1993 * 12th , 2002 * 13th Ricardo Molina City of Córdoba Poetry Award, 2005 * , 2016

Works

Poetry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Elsa 1943 births 20th-century Spanish women writers 21st-century Spanish women writers Complutense University of Madrid alumni Living people People from Malabo Spanish anthropologists Spanish biographers Spanish women poets Spanish women anthropologists Spanish women biographers