The headquarters of the Cajasol Foundation This Saturday, Córdoba hosted one of the events of the Gala Week, cultural action that delves into the figure of Antonio Gala and this year pays tribute to the writer on his death. under the name Antonio Gala and Córdobathere has been a discussion between the mayor of the city, José María Bellidoand the former mayor Rosa Aguilar which, moderated by the Director of Editorial Relations of Grupo Planeta, Ana Gavín, have outlined the relationship that existed between the poet and his adopted city and that had its epicenter, in addition to the references of his literary work, in the Foundation that bears his name.
Rosa Aguilar, who was a friend of the writer, recalled how Gala “knew how to wait for Córdoba” because, despite the fact that he embraced the city almost from the first minute, “we Cordobans take our time”. The Foundation, Aguilar recalled, suffered problems and vicissitudes that did not discourage the poet, who received calls from many other parts of Spain to host this school of young artists. “He knew that in Córdoba it was going to cost more work,” the former mayor recalled, “but since he had declared his true love for the city, for his city, he waited.”
The feeling of belonging
José María Bellido has highlighted the feeling of belonging that Gala had with Córdoba, something that is extracted from his work, where the city is a source of inspiration in numerous writings. That led him to want his Foundation to be here. For the mayor, The role of the Foundation in the city, during and after the Gala, “is fundamental”. The key, he understands, lies in the ability to give young creators a vehicle to express themselves in a city with a legacy of such magnitude that, Bellido has warned, “it can cast a shadow on artists that makes them think that they are not up to the task.” height”.
The impetus for the Foundation must also come from the public and this has been recognized by the mayor. “When he began to make his end visible, he said that he would stay in Córdoba and that his ashes would fertilize the Foundation itself”said Bellido, who has advocated carrying out this fertilization work, which is “what it is up to us to promote.”
The relationship with Grupo Cántico
This Gala-Córdoba binomial has also come up during the Grupo Cántico colloquium, the most prominent interdisciplinary artistic union of Córdoba culture. Regarding this, Aguilar has pointed out that Grupo Cántico “was a reference for Antonio” and has pointed out “what a joy” it was to listen to the conversations between the poet and Pablo García Baena, one of the members of the group.
Bellido has also named García Baena to regret that with the death of Gala one of the greatest writers in the city has left., a list in which he has included García Baena himself, Séneca, Góngora and the Duke of Rivas. The mayor also understands that in Gala’s connection with Grupo Cántico also resides that feeling for Andalusia, which materialized in many ways, also political, when he positioned himself in favor of autonomy.
one last act
The Gala Week ends this Sunday, October 8, with the closing ceremony, which will be held from 12:00 p.m. at the Gala Foundation, with a concert on the writer’s poems by the singer-songwriter Víctor Mariñas, accompanied on the cello by Fernando Arce .