Elena Santiago facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elena Santiago
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Santiago in 2008
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Elena Fernández Gómez
8 February 1941 Veguellina de Órbigo, Castile and León, Spain
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| Died | 3 January 2021 (aged 79) Valladolid, Spain
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| Occupation | Writer |
| Years active | 1973–2019 |
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Elena Fernández Gómez (born February 8, 1941 – died January 3, 2021) was a Spanish writer. She was better known by her pen name, Elena Santiago. She wrote many novels, short stories, and books for children. Elena Santiago received several important awards for her writing. These included the Rosa Chacel Award and the Castile and León Award for Letters.
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About Elena Santiago
Elena Santiago was born in Veguellina de Órbigo, a town in the Province of León, Spain. Her father was a doctor there for over 40 years. Her mother loved to read a lot, even though she was very busy. This love for reading inspired Elena greatly.
Elena started her schooling in her hometown. When she was nine, she continued her studies in León at the Colegio de la Asunción. Later, she trained to become a teacher. She also studied Literature, first in León and then in Madrid. Madrid was a big change for her.
From a young age, Elena wanted to be a writer. She also loved painting, playing the piano, and learning new languages. She began publishing her writings when she was still a teenager.
Her First Stories and Books
Elena's first two published stories were called "El Hijo" and "Historia sobre el terremoto de Perú". These were chosen by a magazine called Temas. After that, she kept writing all kinds of things. She wrote poetry, short stories, and novels. She also wrote many books especially for children.
Elena started winning awards for her work in 1973. Her first three novels were very successful. They were called La oscuridad somos nosotros (1976), Ácidos días (1979), and Gente oscura (1980). Each of these books won a special award.
She often wrote novels and short stories at different times. She sometimes focused on short stories because she felt a strong need to tell those particular tales. Some of her short stories were later put together in a collection called Lo tuyo soy yo in 2004.
Writing for Children
Elena spent eight years, until 2009, writing books for children. During this time, she faced some health and family challenges. Her children's books were also recognized with awards. These included the Rosa Chacel Award and the Castile and León Award for Letters. In 2009, she wrote a book called La muerte y las cerezas.
Elena Santiago passed away on January 3, 2021, in Valladolid, Spain. She was 79 years old.
Working with Other Writers
Elena Santiago also worked with other writers on many projects. These are called "collective works." She contributed to books like Cuentos de este siglo and Cien años de cuento.
One special project she was part of was Contemos la Navidad. This is a collection of Christmas stories and drawings. It is published every year to honor another writer, Antonio Pereira. In 2013, the book was a tribute to Elena Santiago herself. Her daughter and granddaughter even wrote stories for that edition!
She also helped create a book that collected traditional folktales from Castile and León. Another book she contributed to was Inmenso estrecho. Cuentos sobre inmigración (2005). Her story in this book, "Finalmente, ¿una oscuridad?", talked about helping immigrants. It showed how important it is to have a society where many different cultures live together.
Elena Santiago's Books
Here are some of the books Elena Santiago wrote:
- Un camino amarillo, La última puerta, Las horas quietas and Cada invierno (1973–1975), these were short stories
- La oscuridad somos nosotros (1976)
- Un mundo detrás de la puerta, El ruido, Antes de cerrar la puerta (1977), these were short stories
- Ácidos días (1979)
- Gente oscura (1980)
- Una mujer malva (1980)
- Manuela y el mundo (1983)
- Alguien sube (1985)
- Relato con lluvia (1986), short stories
- Veva (1988)
- El amante asombrado (1994)
- Amor quieto (1997)
- Cuentos (1997)
- Ángeles oscuros (1998)
- Un susto azul (1998), short stories
- Asomada al invierno (2001)
- Olas bajo la ciudad (2003), short stories
- Sueños de mariposa negra (2003), a book for children
- Lo tuyo soy yo (2004)
- La muerte y las cerezas (2009)
- Nunca el olvido (2015)
- Mat y Pat. Vuelos de niño (2018), another book for children
- Los delirios de Andrea (2019)
Awards and Honors
Elena Santiago received many awards and recognitions for her writing throughout her career:
- 1973: City of León Award
- 1974: Ignacio Aldecoa Award (4th place)
- 1974: City of San Sebastián Award
- 1975: Ignacio Aldecoa Award (1st place)
- 1976: Lena Award
- 1976: City of Irún Award
- 1977: Jauja Award
- 1977: Calderón Escalada Award
- 1979: Novelas y Cuentos Award
- 1980: La Felguera Award
- 1980: Miguel Delibes Narrative Award
- 1981: City of Barbastro Award
- 1981: Hucha de Plata and Hucha de Oro Awards
- 1983: Felipe Trigo Award
- 1985: Ateneo de Valladolid Award
- 1991: A town square in Veguellina de Órbigo was named after her
- 1998: Rosa Chacel Award
- 1999: Literary Career Award, from the Diputación de Valladolid
- 2002: Castile and León Award for Letters
- 2003: Named Favorite Daughter of Veguellina de Órbigo
See also
In Spanish: Elena Santiago para niños
