María Elena Walsh
María Elena Walsh (born February 1, 1930 in Ramos Mejía , Buenos Aires ; † January 10, 2011 in Buenos Aires ) was an Argentine poet , writer , singer , composer , dramaturge and journalist .
The daughter of an Englishman and an Argentinian wrote her first book when she was 17 when she was studying at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes . She had previously published her first verses in two magazines when she was fifteen. In 1948 she traveled to the USA at the invitation of Juan Ramón Jiménez .
From 1952 to 1956, the free-spirited writer lived in exile in Paris , as she was threatened with repression under Perón's authoritarian government . In Paris she performed as a duo with Leda Valladares († 2012) and sang Argentinian folklore . After her return she had constant conflicts with the censorship authorities during the Argentine military dictatorship (1976-1983) ; nevertheless, her popularity offered her some protection. In the press she denounced censorship, prejudice, authoritarian structures, the death penalty and the discrimination against women. Even if her subjects were specific, she often treated the material in such a generalizing and artistic way that texts of timeless validity emerged.
Since 1959 she has been writing not only poetry but also scripts, plays, songs, especially children's songs, which were widely used in Argentina. In their songs for adults, their lyrical folk and art songs mix. In this way, she leads the poetry back to a bygone era when poetry was not read out but sung.
In 1985 Walsh was named Ciudadano ilustre of Buenos Aires, and in 2000 with the Great Prize of the Argentine Writers' Association. She died on January 10, 2011 in the Sanatorio de la Trinidad in Buenos Aires.
Web links
- Literature by and about María Elena Walsh in the catalog of the German National Library
- Literature by and about María Elena Walsh in the catalog of the Ibero-American Institute of Prussian Cultural Heritage, Berlin
- María Elena Walsh in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ ellitoral.com (Spanish), accessed January 10, 2011
- ↑ buenosairesherald.com (English), accessed January 10, 2011
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Walsh, María Elena |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Argentine writer and journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 1, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ramos Mejía , Buenos Aires (province) |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 10, 2011 |
| Place of death | Buenos Aires |