Alicia Morel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alicia Morel
Born	Alicia Morel Chaigneau (1921-07-26)26 July 1921 Santiago, Chile
Died	1 March 2017(2017-03-01) (aged 95)
Occupation	Writer, poet
Years active	1938–2017
Notable work	La Hormiguita Cantora y el Duende Melodía
Spouse(s)	William Thayer Arteaga
Awards	Order of Merit of the World Council of Education (1989)

Alicia Morel Chaigneau (born July 26, 1921 – died March 1, 2017) was a famous writer, storyteller, and poet from Chile. She is best known for her amazing stories and plays for children. She also wrote for puppet shows.

Biography

Early years

Alicia Morel was born on July 26, 1921. She grew up in a family that loved learning. Alicia was the oldest of six children. From a very young age, she was very interested in books and stories.

Her favorite authors wrote classic fairy tales and adventures. These included Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, Hans Christian Andersen, and the Brothers Grimm. Their stories inspired her to create her own tales. Alicia also loved being outdoors and studying nature. She often watched insects, trees, and flowers when she played with her siblings.

Alicia's father was a kind and loving man who played the cello. Her family moved several times during her childhood. As she grew older, Alicia learned to play the piano. She also started writing her first stories and poems. Many of these early writings were inspired by the beautiful nature of the Cajón del Maipo. When she was 12, Alicia knew that writing was what she wanted to do forever. A family friend, Jorge Zuloaga, encouraged her by giving her many books to read.

Literary career

Alicia Morel began her writing career in 1938, when she was just 16 years old. Her first book was a poetry collection called En el campo y la ciudad, published by her family. After that, she wrote many different types of books. She wrote novels, poems, Chilean legends, and children's stories.

In 1951, she published a poetry book called Como una raíz de agua. She also traveled to Europe, where she met the famous poet Gabriela Mistral in Naples, Italy. Alicia said Gabriela Mistral had a strong, quiet presence.

Alicia worked with other writers too. She co-wrote Perico trepa por Chile with Marcela Paz. This story was even turned into a play in 2012.

In the 1950s, Alicia created two of her most famous characters. These were La Hormiguita Cantora (The Singing Ant) and el Duende Melodía (Melody the Elf). Their adventures were told on the radio from 1954 to 1957. The stories were so popular that they were published as books in 1956 and 1957. Her friend, artist Elena Poirier [es], drew pictures for these books. Around this time, Alicia also started visiting schools. She put on puppet shows, bringing her many characters to life for children.

Alicia Morel was one of the people who helped start the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in Chile. This group helps promote books for children and young adults. She worked with other famous writers like Marcela Paz. Alicia was the vice president of this group for some time. She also helped with other educational projects. She wrote for a magazine and for El Volantín, a magazine published twice a year.

Awards and recognition

Alicia Morel received many awards during her career. In 1989, she received the Order of Merit from the World Council of Education. She was also honored for her work at two special events. One was the 21st International Fair of Children's and Young Adult Books in 2007. The other was the Iberoamerican Congress of Language and Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2010. In 2010, she was chosen to represent Chile for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is one of the highest honors for children's authors.

Personal life

Alicia Morel married a politician named William Thayer Arteaga. They had seven children together.

Works

Poetry

• 1938: En el campo y la ciudad
• 1951: Como una raíz de agua
• 1990: El árbol de los cielos
• 2007: Color del tiempo

Novels

• 1940: Juanilla, Juanillo y la Abuela
• 1965: El jardín de Dionisio
• 1978: Perico trepa por Chile (co-written with Marcela Paz)
• 1988: El viaje de los duendes al otro lado del mundo
• 2001: El fabricante de risas
• 2001: La conquista del rocío
• 2002: El viaje de los invisibles
• 2010: Espejos Paralelos

Short stories

• 1973: Cuentos de la Pícara Polita
• 1978: Nuestros cuentos (a collection of stories by Chilean authors)
• 1983: Cuentos Araucanos, La gente de la Tierra
• 1983: La noche en la ventana
• 1985: Polita va a la escuela
• 1996: Polita en el bosque
• 1999: Las manchas de Vinca
• 2004: Mozart cuenta la Flauta Mágica, cuento
• 2007: Travesuras de Polita
• 2008: El Cururo incomprendido
• 2010: El secreto del caracol
• 1991: Polita aprende el mundo
• 1991: La Hoja Viajera
• 1991: Cuentos de tesoros y monedas de oro
• 1992: Una aguja y un dedal
• 1993: Cuentos de la lluvia
• 1994: Aventuras del Duende Melodía
• 1994: El baile de los cantaritos
• 1994: La cartera azul y Amigos del bosque
• 1978: El Increíble Mundo de Llanca
• 1995: El cururo incomprendido
• 2015: Cuentos de la Panchita

Translations

• 1990: Translation of The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin
• 1981: Translation of The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• 1982: Translation of The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

Other

• 1956: La Hormiguita Cantora y el Duende Melodía
• 1977: ¿Quién soy? (an essay)
• 1984: Los viajes misteriosos de María (an essay)
• 1986: La flauta encantada (puppet plays and theater for children)
• 1990: Variaciones Literarias (essays about Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield)
• 1991: Hagamos títeres (a teaching book about making puppets and five puppet plays)
• 1995: La Era del Sueño (an essay)
• 1996: Leyendas bajo la Cruz del Sur
• 2004: La Biblia contada para ti (co-written with Jacqueline Balcells [es])
• 2005: La última polilla del otoño
• 2006: Una mariposa en apuros, El baile del Picaflor
• 2007: Polita en el bosque
• 2009: El Paraguas mágico
• 2009: Polita Aprende el mundo y Polita va a la escuela

See also

In Spanish: Alicia Morel para niños