José María Iñigo entrevista A Gloria Fuertes

Gloria Fuertes was a Spanish poet belonging to the Generation of '50, which followed the literary movement of the first post-war generation. Her poetic work gained prominence in Spain from the 1970s onward through her contributions to children's and youth programs on Spanish Television (TVE), such as Un globo, dos globos, tres globos and *La cometa blanca*. In her poetry, she championed women, pacifism, and the environment. In 2017, on the centenary of her birth, her role in 20th-century Spanish poetry was celebrated. She was born on July 28, 1917, in the Lavapiés neighborhood of Madrid into a humble family. Her mother, a seamstress and maid, nearly died in childbirth, as she herself recounts in the verses of one of her "autobiographies." Her interest in literature began at the early age of five, when she was already writing and illustrating her own stories. She published her first poem at just fourteen years old in 1932, under the title "Childhood, Youth, Old Age." By fifteen, she was already reciting her verses on Radio España in Madrid, and at seventeen, she published her first book of poems, "Isla ignorada" (Ignored Island).²³ During the 1940s, she joined the "Postismo" poetic movement, actively participating in the magazines Postismo and Cerbatana alongside Carlos Edmundo de Ory, Eduardo Chicharro, and Silvano Sernesi. She also founded the group Versos con faldas (Verses in Skirts) with María Dolores de Pueblos and Adelaida Lasantas, which for two years gave recitals and readings in the bars and cafés of Madrid.¹² In 1960, she traveled to the United States for three years after receiving a Fulbright scholarship to teach Spanish literature at Bucknell University, Mary Baldwin College, and Bryn Mawr College. Upon her return, her poetic output was enriched with Ni tiro, ni veneno, ni navaja (1966), Poeta de Guardia (1968), and another title from her poetic corpus, Cómo atar los bigotes al tigre (1969).² In 1972, she received a grant from the Juan March Foundation for Children's Literature, which allowed her to dedicate herself entirely to writing. Two new titles were added to her poetic work: Sola en casa and Cuando amas aprendes geografía (1973). She also became very popular for her appearances on television programs aimed at children and young adults, where she recited her poems in a fun and educational style.¹ She died on November 27, 1998, in Madrid, leaving behind an extensive body of poetic work encompassing both social and intimate themes, as well as numerous short stories and plays for children.¹²³ (1) Gloria Fuertes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_... (2) Biography of Gloria Fuertes - Instituto Cervantes. https://www.cervantes.es/bibliotecas_... (3) Biography of Gloria Fuertes - Gloria Fuertes. https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/port... (4) Getty Images https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ne... José María Íñigo interviews Gloria Fuertes on the TVE program "Estudio Abierto," broadcast on April 6, 1983.