Elena Quiroga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elena Quiroga
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| Born | 26 October 1921 Santander, Spain |
| Died | 3 October 1995 (aged 73) A Coruña, Spain |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Genre | Novel |
| Literary movement | Generation of '50 |
| Notable awards | Premio Nadal |
| Seat a of the Real Academia Española | |
| In office 8 April 1984 – 3 October 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Juan Antonio de Zunzunegui |
| Succeeded by | Domingo Ynduráin Muñoz |
Elena Quiroga de Abarca (born October 26, 1921, in Santander, Spain – died October 3, 1995, in A Coruña, Spain) was a famous Spanish writer.
She was well-known for her novels and stories. Many people thought she was one of the most important women of her time. Elena cared deeply about unfairness and often wrote about childhood and growing up. She was also the second woman ever to join the Real Academia Española (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language).
Her Early Life
Elena Quiroga grew up in a rich family. She lived with her father in Villoria, a place in Galicia, Spain. She had a happy childhood and teenage years.
Back then, it was not common for girls to get a lot of schooling. But Elena was lucky and received a very good education. This helped her to love reading and writing from a young age.
When she was just 20, she published her first novel, La Soledad Sonora (1949). This book tells the story of a woman's life from when she was a teenager until she was old. Even though she did not go to university, Elena took many free classes. She also worked on her books for several hours every day.
In 1950, Elena married Dalmiro de Válgoma. They moved to Madrid, the capital of Spain. There, she met other writers. This group of writers helped to create a new style of Spanish novels in the 20th century.
Elena Quiroga passed away in A Coruña at the age of 73. She had been in the hospital because of a serious illness.
Her Writing Career
Elena started writing when she was young. But her career really took off after she got married and moved to Madrid. In 1950, she wrote a novel called Viento del Norte. This book won an award. It was about the relationship between a young maid and her boss.
This novel showed what Elena's future books would be like. She often wrote about private feelings and memories from childhood. Her stories had clear plots and interesting characters. She used beautiful, rich, and clear language in her writing.
In 1952, she wrote her third novel, La Sangre. Her publishers said this book showed she was an amazing writer. They loved her delicate style and the interesting problems she wrote about. La Sangre tells the story of four generations of a family. A tree is the main character in the book.
In 1954, Elena wrote Algo pasa en la calle. In this book, she explored new and modern topics. It was about love failing and marriages breaking up in cities. The characters in this novel were more complex. They felt more like modern people.
Elena Quiroga wrote many books quickly. She published La Careta (1955) and La Enferma (1955). La Enferma is about a woman with mental health problems who is left by her partner. She also wrote Plácida la joven y otras narraciones (1956) and La última corrida (1958). This means she published eight novels in less than ten years! This made her one of the most productive Spanish writers of her time. And her books were still very good.
After many busy years of writing, she slowed down a bit. In 1960, she published Tristura. This novel won the Premio de la Crítica Catalana award. It took her five years to write her next novel, Escribo tu nombre (1965). Other novels she wrote include Trayecto uno, El pájaro de oro, La otra ciudad, Presente profundo (1970), and Grandes Soledades (1983).
Elena Quiroga was part of a group of writers. Their stories about the Spanish Civil War helped to show the deep feelings of women who lived through that time.
Joining the Royal Spanish Academy
In 1983, Elena Quiroga was chosen to be a member of the Real Academia Española. This was because of her amazing writing career and her many books. She was only the second woman in history to join this important group. The first was Carmen Conde, another writer, who joined in 1978.
It was a very important step for the Real Academia Española to start including women in their institution.
Her Books
- La soledad sonora. Madrid: Espasa Calpe, 1949.
- Viento del norte. Barcelona: Destino, 1951
- La sangre. Barcelona: Destino, 1952.
- Trayecto uno, Madrid: Tecnos, 1953.
- Algo pasa en la calle. Barcelona: Destino, 1954.
- La careta. Barcelona: Noguer, 1955.
- La enferma. Barcelona: Noguer, 1955.
- Plácida, la joven y otras narraciones. Madrid: Prensa española, 1956.
- La última corrida. Barcelona: Noguer, 1958.
- Tristura. Barcelona: Noguer, 1960.
- Carta a Cadaqués. Santander: Imp. Bedia, 1961.
- Envío a Faramello. Madrid: Raycar, 1963.
- Escribo tu nombre. Barcelona: Noguer, 1965.
- El pájaro de oro
- La otra ciudad
- Presente profundo. Barcelona: Destino, 1973.
- Grandes soledades, 1983.
- Presencia y ausencia de Álvaro Cunqueiro. Madrid: Real Academia Española (RAE), 1984.
See also
In Spanish: Elena Quiroga para niños
