Elena Fortún facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elena Fortún
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Elena Fortún in 1936
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| Born |
María de la Encarnación Gertrudis Jacoba Aragoneses y de Urquijo
17 November 1886 |
| Died | 8 May 1952 (aged 65) Madrid, Spain
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María de la Encarnación Gertrudis Jacoba Aragoneses y de Urquijo (born November 17, 1886, in Madrid – died May 8, 1952, in Madrid) was a Spanish writer. She is famous for her books for children, which she wrote using the pen name Elena Fortún.
She became well-known for her book Celia, lo que dice (which means "What Celia Says"). This was the first book in a popular series of children's novels. These stories first appeared in magazines in 1929. The Celia series was very popular when it was published and is still considered a classic of Spanish literature today.
Contents
About Elena Fortún's Life
Elena Fortún was born in Madrid. Her father, Leocadio Aragoneses, was a yeoman (a kind of guard) in the Spanish Royal Guard. Her mother was from the Basque region. When she was a child, she spent her summers with her grandfather in Abades, a small village near Segovia. She studied Philosophy in Madrid.
In 1908, she married her cousin, Eusebio de Gorbea y Lemmi. He was a military man, a smart thinker, and a writer. They had two sons. Sadly, their youngest son, Bolín, passed away in 1920 when he was only 10 years old. This made Elena Fortún very sad.
Elena Fortún lived mostly in Madrid. But she also spent time in other places like Tenerife in the Canary Islands, France, and Argentina.
How She Started Writing
Her husband, Eusebio, was part of a group of writers and artists called the Generation of 1914. He helped Elena Fortún meet many people in the writing world.
By the late 1920s, she decided to start writing. In 1928, she began writing stories for children in a magazine called Blanco y Negro. She used the pseudonym (a made-up name for writing) Elena Fortún. This name came from one of her husband's characters.
Her stories became so popular that a publishing company called Aguilar wanted to print them as books. They started publishing her Celia books in 1935.
The Celia Books
The Celia stories are set in Madrid. They are told from the point of view of a seven-year-old girl named Celia Gálvez de Montalbán. Celia is a curious and innocent girl who asks adults many questions about the world around her. She especially wondered about the school system, which she felt tried to stop young girls from using their imaginations.
Elena Fortún knew how to connect with children's feelings and dreams. Her stories became favorites for Spanish girls from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Elena Fortún and the Spanish Civil War
Elena Fortún was a member of the Lyceum Women's Club, a group for women. She wasn't involved in politics in a big way. However, she believed that the Second Spanish Republic (the government at the time) would help end illiteracy (not being able to read or write) and bring more equality for women.
When the Spanish Civil War started, she stayed in Madrid with her husband. He supported the Republic. In her book Celia en la revolución (published in 1987), she wrote about what Republican Spain was like during the war in Madrid. Through Celia, Elena Fortún shared her own thoughts and sadness about the war. Celia was upset by how stubborn both sides of the conflict were.
In 1938, Elena Fortún became part of the Comisión del Teatro de los Niños (Children's Theater Commission). In July of that year, her play called Moñitos (Baubles) was performed.
Life in Exile
Later in 1938, Elena Fortún and her husband went to Paris. Then, they went into exile in Argentina. Exile means leaving your home country, often because of political reasons. Her daughter-in-law's family helped them.
In Buenos Aires, she met the famous writer Jorge Luis Borges at the National Public Library, where they both worked. Even though many writers who left Spain because of the war had trouble, Elena Fortún's Celia books continued to be published. This was true even though Celia, like Elena and her husband, supported the Republic.
In 1948, she returned to Spain. She wanted to see if her husband could be allowed to return too. She was not punished because she wasn't part of a political party. Her only "crime" was being a woman who felt that the Republic would improve education and the role of women in society. She visited her old friends from the Lyceum Women's Club, which was still meeting secretly. A few months later, her husband, who was still in Buenos Aires, passed away.
Feeling very sad, she went to America to live with her son, who was also in exile. Later, she returned to Madrid and passed away on May 8, 1952, at the age of 65.
Legacy and Tributes
A few years after her death, in 1957, two women named María Martos de Baeza and Matilde Ras helped raise money to build a monument in her honor. This monument is in the Parque del Oeste in Madrid. The relief (a sculpture that sticks out from a flat surface) shows Elena Fortún between two children. It was designed by the sculptor José Planes.
There are also beautiful gardens named Jardines Escritora Elena Fortún in Córdoba. Many streets are named after her too, like Calle Elena Fortún in Madrid, Las Rozas de Madrid, Valdetorres de Jarama, and in Málaga, the Calle Escritora Elena Fortún.
In 1993, some of her books, including Celia, lo que dice, Celia novelista, and Celia en el colegio, were made into a TV series in Spain. It had six episodes and was directed by José Luis Borau.
In November 2019, her book Celia en la revolución was turned into a play. It was directed by María Folguera and first performed at the Valle-Inclán Theater in Madrid.
Writings
- Celia, lo que dice (1929)
- Celia en el colegio (1932)
- Celia novelista (1934)
- Celia en el mundo (1934)
- Celia y sus amigos (1935)
- Cuchifritín el hermano de Celia (1935)
- Cuchifritín y sus primos (1935)
- Cuchifritín en casa de su abuelo (1936)
- Cuchifritín y Paquito (1936)
- Las trvesuras de Matonkiki (1936)
- Matonkiki y sus hermanas (1936)
- Celia madrecita (1939)
- Celia institutriz en América (1944)
- El cuaderno de Celia (1947)
- La hermana de Celia (1949)
- Mila, Piolín y el burro (1949)
- Celia se casa (cuenta Mila) (1950)
- Patita y Mila estudiantes (1951)
- La hermana de Celia: Mila y Piolín
- El arte de contar cuentos a los niños (1947)
- Los cuentos que Celia cuenta a las niñas (1950)
- Los cuentos que Celia cuenta a los niños (1951)
- Celia en la revolución (1987)
See also
In Spanish: Elena Fortún para niños
