On July 5, 2011, the world learned that one must dare to share a column with a bold voice. It was announced with the blunt truth that cancer had taken hold, and the truth felt as heavy as a burden carried to the grave. Death, the quiet thief, folded its shadows over a master of prose and a maestro of argument. Antonio Gala Velasco, born in Brazatortas on October 2, 1930, carried the sun of his homeland from childhood, the light of Córdoba and the enduring beauty carved by its builders and Sufi mystics.
Always eager to create, Gala reportedly began his prolific journey in Córdoba, at the renowned Círculo de la Amistad, delivering an early lecture at fourteen. In that very same venue, a younger generation heard Lorca speak with steady resolve. Gala, nearing forty, was celebrated again in May 2014 within its noble halls. Córdoba and Gala shared a distant, formative love—mutual admiration and friendship enduring through the years.
Antonio Gala dies at 92
“Writing has been my destiny and my joy. Given the privilege and meaning of my work, perhaps I should have labored on my knees,” Gala once remarked. His slow, resonant cadence and fierce passion—poetic, dramatic, and narratively expansive—made landscapes come alive, and even his most ardent critics acknowledged the power of his diction. Eduardo Mendigutti noted in 2000 that Gala’s versatile mastery across genres demonstrated literature’s universal truths, a sentiment echoed when Ánfora Nova paid tribute to him in the universal volume Antonio Gala of Cordoba.
Gala’s life reads like a well-documented chronicle: a historian of note, a towering personality, and a writer whose works span novels, poetry, and stage drama. His prose, set against Andalusian scenery, explored love, women, and the human condition with a lyrical precision—whether in Eden’s green spaces or the intimate portraits of Carmen. From youth to mature artistry, his poems and stories remained a steadfast companion, even as he joked about leaning on poetry and hope rather than on old supports when facing life’s trials.
Gala’s voice may have faded, but his influence endures in Spanish literature. His novels, poems, and dramatic dialogues—often infused with rebellion, compassion, and precise language—remain foundational. In November 2012, he was honored as an honorary member of the Art Convent of the University of Alcalá, with a collected volume of quotes and reflections on fundamental human questions following. Córdoba remains a cradle of creativity, and the Antonio Gala Foundation, established in a Carthusian monastery, embodies his lifelong belief in coexistence among peoples.
Françoise Dubosquet, a Francophone Hispanist, expressed gratitude for Gala’s role in teaching Spanish and Andalusian culture. Andalusia, with Córdoba at its heart, figures prominently in Gala’s work as a living, literate landscape. Through articles, reviews, conferences, and books, Gala captured the character of the Andalusian people with sharp insight, portraying a world both painful and fertile, exuberant and invincible. This is the world Gala frequently traversed in his poetry, novels, and theatre, offering readers a lens to learn history through literature.
In a vivid scene from his later work, the red manuscript recalls the march of neighbors and townspeople, detailing environmental notes that echo Andalusia’s peaceful charm. The imagery—dappled light, blue skies, and the shade of olive branches—conjures a moment that feels timeless and luminous. Gala’s Andalusian sensibility is a constant undercurrent in his poetry, never shy about expressing deep passion for the land.
His verse and prose celebrate a geography saturated with life: love sonnets, the Andalusian testament, and quintessentially local settings. His devotion earned him the Nebrija Prize for Andalusian Literature in February 2012, awarded in Córdoba, along with Malaga’s City Medal and the honor of being named Son Adopted by the city. Gala’s legacy is that of a universal Cordovan—king of words, sorcerer of beauty—someone whose words continue to resonate beyond his lifetime. In his own words, life ended with a quiet but enduring insistence that coexistence and art persevere, carried forward by those who remember him.