Pilar de Vicente-Gella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pilar de Vicente-Gella
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Pilar de Vicente-Gella at a book fair in Madrid, 2007
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| Born | Maria Pilar Esther de Vicente-Gella Capo 23 April 1942 Zaragoza, Spain |
| Died | 30 April 2016 (aged 74) Madrid, Spain |
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| Period | 1967/68 in ballet, 1981–2016 in literature |
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| Spouse |
Fausto Navarro Izquierdo
(m. 1969) |
Pilar de Vicente-Gella (born María Pilar Esther de Vicente-Gella Capo; 23 April 1942 – 30 April 2016) was a talented Spanish writer and ballet dancer. Her family and friends called her Pilu. She loved both writing and ballet from a very young age.
Contents
Her Life Story
Pilar was born in Zaragoza, Spain, on April 23, 1942. Her family was well-off, with many lawyers. Her father, Agustin Vicente Gella, was a law professor and later the head of the University of Zaragoza. Her godfather was her uncle, Fausto Vicente Gella. Her grandfathers were also important figures in their towns.
Pilar's parents loved art, especially music. Her mother played piano, and her father enjoyed opera. Pilar grew up surrounded by paintings and loved art too. She was proud to be born on April 23. This date is special because it's when famous writers Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died. It's also Book Day and a regional holiday in Aragon.
Childhood and Travels
Pilar spent most of her childhood in Zaragoza and Teruel. She also took trips to big cities like Madrid, Paris, and Milan. Sometimes, these trips were to see opera shows. As a child, she had a long illness. This made her health a bit fragile for most of her life.
In the 1960s, she lived in Paris, Cannes, and Monte Carlo. In 1968, she met Fausto Navarro Izquierdo, a Spanish diplomat. They married in Zaragoza in 1969. After their honeymoon, they moved to Paris. Their first son was born there in 1971.
Later, they lived in Madrid for a year. In 1974, Fausto became Spain's consul in Liverpool, where their second son was born. In 1978, they moved to New Delhi, India. Pilar was very amazed by India's culture. In 1980, Fausto became the Spanish ambassador to Abu Dhabi.
New Beginnings in Madrid
In 1982, Pilar decided to move to Madrid. She wanted a new start for herself. Her father passed away in 1984, which was very sad for her. She felt he was the person who loved her the most. Her mother also passed away in 1993.
After moving to Madrid, Pilar met many writers and poets. She became friends with poets like Jesus Hilario Tundidor and Claudio Rodriguez. They would spend evenings talking about literature and sharing their poems.
In the early 2000s, Pilar's health started to get worse. Despite this, she welcomed her first granddaughter in 2011 and her second in 2013.
Pilar de Vicente-Gella passed away on April 30, 2016, in her Madrid home. She was surrounded by her beloved paintings, books, and opera DVDs. Her funeral was held in Madrid, and her remains now rest in her father's niche in Teruel.
Pilar de Vicente-Gella, the Ballerina
Even though Pilar started writing as a child, her main artistic passion was classical ballet. She began learning in Zaragoza at María de Ávila's school. She improved her skills in France, learning from a Russian ballet teacher.
In 1967-1968, she joined the Opéra de Monte-Carlo's Ballet Company. She even performed on stage with the famous dancer Rudolf Nureyev. However, as her professional ballet career was just starting, she chose to stop dancing to focus on her marriage.
Later, she taught at Spain's National Institute of Performing Arts. This was in 1983, when Maria de Avila was in charge. After a few years, she stopped teaching there due to different ideas about how to run the program.
Pilar de Vicente-Gella, the Writer
Early Writing (Until 1985)
Pilar de Vicente-Gella began writing when she was young. She remembered winning second place in a writing contest at age 14.
While living in New Delhi from 1978 to 1980, she wrote articles and stories for the Heraldo de Aragón newspaper. These pieces were about India's culture.
Her first book, El Transplante y Otras Narraciones para Casi Adultos (The Transplant and Other Narrations for Almost Adults), was published in 1981. She dedicated it to her husband and children. Her father wrote the introduction.
In 1985, her book The Man with White Slacks was published in the United States. This book was written in English. Even though her first two books were prose, The Man with White Slacks had a more poetic style.
Most Active Poetry Period (1987–2000)
From 1985 onwards, Pilar focused on poetry. Her first poetry book, La Eterna Prometida (The Eternal Bride), came out in 1987. This book described death as something to welcome, like a bride or sister, bringing peace. She dedicated it to her mother.
In the same year, four of her poems were included in the Voces Nuevas (New Voices) collection. This was the start of her work with Torremozas editions.
In 1989, she published A Través de mi Noche (Through My Night) in Bilbao.
In 1990, Pilar released "Cuarto Creciente" (Waxing Crescent). This book was a dialogue between lovers in an old Moorish Spanish garden. Pilar used many Spanish words that came from Arabic for this work. She dedicated it to her uncle, Fausto Vicente Gella.
Pilar won "Wheat Bread" poetry awards in 1990 and 1991.
In 1993, she published A orillas del Yamuna (On the Banks of the Yamuna) in New Delhi. She wrote this book before The Eternal Bride. It showed her love for India, especially its capital city. It was published in both Spanish and English.
In 1994, Pilar won a poetry contest in La Solana.
Her book "La Casa Abandonada" (The Forsaken House) was published in 1995. In this book, she wrote about her feelings when she had to clear out her parents' apartment after her mother passed away.
In 1997, she won the "Nicolas del Hierro" poetry award for her book "Si por mi Nombre Alguna Vez me Llamas" (If by My Name You Ever Call Me). She dedicated it to her friend Juan Jose Junquera.
Around the same time, she won second place in the 1997 Puente de Ventas contest. This was for her novel "Por Amor a Wolfgang Amadeus" (For Love to Wolfgang Amadeus). The story is about a nurse who shares her life's joys and struggles with the music of Mozart.
In 2000, the government of Zaragoza Province published "En el Fragil Costado de la Infancia" (In Childhood's Fragile Side Stand). Poet Rafael Soto Verges wrote the introduction. She dedicated it to a friend and fellow dancer.
During this time, she also wrote many books that were not published. These included "Volver al Yamuna" (Back to the Yamuna) and "La Niña Azul" (The Blue Girl).
Less Active Period (2000–2014)
After 2000, Pilar wrote less as her health declined.
In 2003, she took part in a poetry event called Arco Poetico.
It took her about six years to finish her next book, "Requiem de Julio" (Requiem of July), published in 2006. This book was about two things happening at once: her sadness over her friend Claudio Rodriguez's death and reconnecting with an old friend. This book caused some challenges because some readers didn't quite understand its meaning. This made her lose motivation to write for about eight years.
Final Works (2014–2016)
In March 2015, she published "Tornaviaje" (Return). She dedicated this book to her older brother, Agustin, whom she was very close to. "Tornaviaje" also describes how she overcame the sadness from the misunderstandings about her previous book. The title "Tornaviaje" means "return journey" and refers to finding a new, insightful path back to where you started.
In December 2015, she published "A Contratiempo" (A Setback Against The Tide). This was her last book and her first in a new style called aphorisms. Aphorisms are short, wise sayings. She dedicated it to her two granddaughters. The book was a collection of her life's wisdom, hoping to guide her granddaughters as they grew up.
Pilar passed away on April 30, 2016, while working on a second volume of "A Contratiempo."
List of Works
Prose
- "El Transplante y Otras Narraciones para Casi Adultos" (The Transplant and Other Narrations for Almost Adults). Zaragoza, Ed. Heraldo de Aragón, 1981.
- The Man With White Slacks, New York, Vantage Press, 1985.
- "Por amor a Wolfgang Amadeus" (For Love to Wolfgang Amadeus). Madrid, Ed. Grupo G., Second at the 1997 Puente de Ventas novels contest, 1998.
Poetry
- "La Eterna Prometida" (The Eternal Bride). Madrid, Ed. Andrómeda, 1987.
- "A Través de mi Noche" (Through my Night), Bilbao, Estudio de Proyección Editorial, 1989.
- "Cuarto creciente" (Waxing Crescent). Madrid, Ed. Andrómeda, 1990.
- "A Orillas del Yamuna" – On the Banks Of The Yamuna- bilingual version English/Spanish, New Delhi, Wiley Eastern Limited, 1993.
- "La Casa Abandonada" (The Forsaken House), Madrid, Ed. Torremozas, 1995.
- "Si por mi Nombre Alguna vez me Llamas" (If By My Name You Ever Call Me), Piedrabuena (Ciudad Real), Colección Yedra, “Nicolás del Hierro” poetry contest, 1997.
- "En el Frágil Costado de la Infancia" (Childhood's Fragile Side Stand), Zaragoza, Excma. Diputación de Zaragoza, 2000.
- "Requiem de Julio" (Requiem of July), Madrid, Editorial Torremozas, 2006.
- "Tornaviaje" (Return,) Madrid, Editorial Torremozas, 2015.
Aphorisms
- "A contratiempo" (A Setback Against the Tide), Madrid, Torremozas, 2015.
Literary Awards
- "spike" in the first "Wheat Bread" poetry awards of La Solana, province of Ciudad Real, 1990.
- "bakery" in the second "Wheat Bread" poetry awards of La Solana, province of Ciudad Real, 1991.
- Poetry contest of the La Solana (province of Ciudad Real) Town hall, 1994.
- Nicolas del Hierro poetry awards, Piedrabuena (Ciudad Real), 1997.
- Second place at the 1997 Puente de Ventas novels contest, Madrid 1997.
Images for kids
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Pilar de Vicente-Gella, at the 2007 Retiro park book fair of Madrid, 2007
See also
In Spanish: Pilar de Vicente-Gella para niños
