Dionisio Gamallo Fierros

Category: Writer and teacher
Birth Date: 25th August 1914 (†16th January 2000)
Birth Place: Ribadeo (Lugo)
 Curriculum

He studied Primary Education in Ribadeo and Secondary Education in Lugo. Then, he studied Law in Santiago de Compostela. When he finished his career in 1936, he began to study Philosophy and Arts, taking his degree in 1941 at Valladolid University. Two years later, he began to collaborate in daily press and the magazines 'Ya', 'Arrita', 'Informaciones', 'El Español' and 'La Estafeta Literaria' in Madrid. From 1945 onwards, he worked as an assistant lecturer of Geography and History at Santiago de Compostela University, Literature teacher in Madrid at 'Ramiro de Maeztu' Secondary School and several summer courses, teacher and director of the Labour School in Ribadeo (Lugo) and teacher at the Journalism School and 'Lope de Vega' Secondary School in Madrid. In 1945, he became a member of the Galician Academy. From 1953 to 1955, he worked as an adviser at the Service of Bibliographic Information of the National Library (Madrid). Besides, he was a member of the board of directors of the Galician Centre in Madrid and secretary of the Culture Commission. He was a member of the Institute of Asturian Studies and member of the Spanish Academy.

 Work & Activities

In 1942, he published Albor, a poetry notebook with fourteen poems of his unpublished book La voz derrotada. In 1943, he finished two monographs that are still unpublished: Una estirpe de escritores colombianos: los Caro and La aportación de Lugo y su provincia a la literatura galaico-castellana. In 1948, he published the brochure 'Bécquer y Sevilla y páginas abandonadas', prologued by Dámaso Alonso. Gamallo Fierros also wrote many essays and articles such as Vida y obra de Ramiro de Maeztu (1953), Menéndez Pidal en el año 1898 (1968), ¿Luz sobre la Negra Sombra? (1975), Primera etapa de la vida y obra de Pérez de Ayala (de los comienzos hasta 1905) (1981), La Regenta, a través de cartas inéditas de la Pardo Bazán a "Clarín" (1984), Toledo ¿fiel de la balanza de Bécquer entre lo nórdico y lo meridional?, etc.

 Other Interesting Aspects

Dionisio Gamallo was awarded 'Pérez Ligún' Literature Prize by the Press Association (A Coruña, 1943) for his work Galicia a través de sus poetas, first prize of Castilian poetry at the Floral Games in Santiago de Compostela (1945) for his poem Piedra Viva, the prize of the contest organised by the Galician Centre in Havana (1951) for his work Seda en el cardo (vida y obras de Curros Enríquez), the first prize at 'José Martí' Contest sponsored by the Cuban Embassy and the Institute of Hispanic Culture in Madrid (1953) and the Journalism Prize of the County Council of A Coruña (1971). Besides, he was awarded the decoration of 'Rubén Darío' Order in Nicaragua (1967) and Castelao's medal in 1998. In 1987, he also got the distinction 'lucense del año'.