BRILLIANT writer Antonio Gala has died at the age of 92 in Cordoba today (Sunday 28 May).
Gala, born in Ciudad Real in October 1930, was a worldwide famous novelist, playwright, poet and essayist.
He wrote his first story at the age of five, four years before he moved with his family to Cordoba.
Gala started university when he was only 15-year-old in Sevilla. He graduated in Law and also obtained three other degrees in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in Madrid as a guest student.
He published his first poems in different publications of the time while completing his university education. He also founded with authors Gloria Fuertes and Julio Mariscal two magazines during this period.
After graduating, he started studying to become a State Attorney due to his father’s influence, but dropped to become a writer.
In 1959 he published his first poetry book, Intimate Enemy, for which he received an Adonais Award.
The versatile author also worked in the early 60s as an art history teacher and in journalism, in the now extinct Pueblo and Sabado Grafico publications.
Gala then started to focus on the world of theatre, publishing the play Eden’s green fields in 1963. He published over 20 during his life.
It was not until 1990 that the well-known poet and dramatist published his first novel, The Carmesi Manuscrit, which earned him a Planeta Award.
He published his second novel three years later, The Turkish Passion, an absolute bestseller.
Gala also participated in many political debates during the Spanish Transition (1975-1978).
He defined himself as a left-wing man and in 1982, he positioned himself against Spain’s entry in NATO.
He also collaborated with Spanish newspapers El Pais and El Mundo, in which the writer published an extense number of articles and columns.
In addition to the Adonais and Planeta Awards, Gala obtained over a dozen of recognitions, including the prestigious Calderon de la Barca distinction.
Politicians, artists and writers have offered their condolences to Gala’s family, including President Pedro Sanchez.
“We have lost one of our best writers,” Sanchez published on his social media channels.
A funeral chapel has been set up today from 10am at his Foundation’s auditorium in Cordoba and will remain open until 5pm on Monday May 29.