Manuel Valero coordinated a significant new volume from the Juan Gil-Albert cultural circle, presenting Fuentes de la constancia, a fifty-year reflection on the life and work of Juan Gil-Albert. The project arose from discussions at Alicante’s cultural centers, including the Alicante Cultural Institute Juan Gil-Albert and Casa Bardín, during the early days of March 2022. The volume gathers insights from esteemed scholars such as José Carlos Rovira, Jaime Siles, Manuel Valero, María Paz Moreno, and others who have deeply studied Gil-Albert, including María Teresa Navarrete, Raúl Molina Gil, Miguel Ángel García, Félix Martín Gijón, and David Ferrez Gutiérrez, emphasizing diverse perspectives on the author and his era.
From the outset, Catalina Iliescu Gheorghiu, vice-rector for Culture, Sports and University Extension at the University of Alicante, notes that commemorations of important writers gain renewed meaning decades later. Rovira frames Fuentes de la constancia as a comprehensive anthology that fosters a renewed internalization of Gil-Albert’s thought, presenting his narrative with a blend of evocative, reflective, and critical elements in a Greco-Latin linguistic tradition. The work reveals how the poet’s early surreal and avant-garde tendencies respond to the traumas of war and exile, moving beyond mere realism.
This edition champions a robust prose project in which stories range from the Civil War to themes such as homosexuality, the fate of rulers in historical portraits, and a poetic arc that culminates in the volume Las Ilusiones. The author, who returned to Spain after exile in the Americas in 1947, produced careful, sustained writing that found publication only after collaboration among peers in the 1970s, with later editions in the 1980s, including a comprehensive republication coordinated by the publishing house Cátedra.
Given the breadth of the material, Rovira’s remarks highlight Fuentes de la constancia as a literary self-portrait marked by fragmentary autobiographical elements, scattered yet resonant. He notes that the Mediterranean landscape fuels poems such as those centered on Alicante, reflecting a gaze that extends beyond the Levant to Greece and a deep affection for Hellenic culture.
Jaime Siles, a close contemporary of Gil-Albert, recalls a moment when a portrait resembled the dancer Nijinsky and how that likeness found a home in Gil-Albert’s own circle. Siles argues that Gil-Albert defies easy categorization, existing in a unique, indivisible universe. He emphasizes that Gil-Albert’s moral commitment offers a source of inspiration for younger readers, marking him as a poet whose work signals hope.
Valero speaks warmly about the friendship between José Carlos Rovira and Gil-Albert, a bond that endured over years and thrived on mutual devotion to poetry and scholarly rigor. The discussion added depth to the careful analysis of Gil-Albert’s oeuvre and its enduring influence.
María Paz Moreno reflects on Gil-Albert’s cultural impact within poetry, noting that Fuentes de la constancia reveals a writer whose presence within North American Hispanic studies has been underrecognized. Moreno points to the difficulty some American scholars faced when locating Gil-Albert’s figure and work, underscoring the poet’s rich inner world and the need to broaden awareness beyond the more widely celebrated contemporaries of his era. The presentation highlights a gap in reception that persists despite the poet’s significant contributions and the support from Valencian cultural institutions. Moreno attributes part of this obscurity to how later generations engaged with Spanish poetry and the arts scene, urging renewed attention to Gil-Albert’s enduring legacy.
Raúl Molina Gil underscores the silence surrounding much of Gil-Albert’s work, arguing that the 1970s brought a renewed recognition of his quality and significance among prominent post-war writers. He stresses that Gil-Albert’s language is precise and carefully crafted, not easy or simplistic. The author emerges as both a poet and a sculptor of prose, shaping sentences with acute awareness of rhythm and subtleness.
The discussions of this volume also acknowledge the ongoing scholarly efforts that helped recover Gil-Albert’s writings. Valero and Pedro J. de la Peña, among others, contributed to reviving interest, with institutional support from entities like the Alfonso the Magnanimous Foundation helping to illuminate the life and work of the Alcoy-born author. Moreno, Rovira, Siles, and César Simón are recognized for their roles in maintaining scholarly attention, alongside other scholars such as Luis Antonio de Villena and Guillermo Carnero. Francisco Brines is remembered for his respectful engagement with Gil-Albert’s poetry, an enduring reminder of the poet’s influence.
The volume coordinated by Manuel Valero stands as a testament to a rich, realized world that grounds the poetry of a prose writer who confronts ordinary life with a revealed landscape. It confirms that Gil-Albert’s work continues to invite study and appreciation, a beacon for enthusiasts who value the depth and quiet power of his craft. The collection is celebrated as a lasting contribution to the cultural heritage of Alicante, and a reminder that the poet’s voice still speaks clearly to readers today, inviting them to explore a universe woven with intricacy, memory, and luminous insight.