Antonio Gala is one of the most important living writers in this country. He is also one of the most successful. Novelist, playwright, poet, columnist... There is no genre that Gala cannot master. This has inevitably caused his public persona to transcend that of the writer and become a figure known to everyone.
Today, we are interested in him not from a literary perspective, but in one of his most human and admirable facets: that of an animal lover. Because Gala is an unconditional lover of animals. So much so that he is a member of the Royal Academy of Veterinary Sciences of Eastern Andalusia.
Over the course of his 85 years, Gala has had around seventeen treasures: “his little dogs,” as he likes to call them. Gala has been the father of a large canine family and says that “dogs have been my true children and have had the patience to live with me.”
Gala has never stopped publicly expressing his love for animals and assures us that dogs have brought him many joys, but also many sorrows. Because they have all died before him, and that is, in his own words, “terrible.” Yet despite the suffering involved in losing a dog, Gala says: “I cannot imagine a greater sorrow in my life than not having a little dog.” And his words are undoubtedly especially valuable, given that he is such a respected and beloved figure in Spain.
Troylo was Gala's companion par excellence, his most beloved dog. The dachshund gave its name to the celebrated Conversations with Troylo, a work born of the great friendship between them and of the author's need to express his deep concern for the Spanish people, for the problems facing our country and all of humanity. After Troylo's death, Gala referred to him as “companion,” “secretary,” and “keeper of the keys to my final caresses,” and received the staggering number of 27,000 condolence letters. Somehow, he managed to make his dog everyone's dog. And he started a movement of love for animals that today is unstoppable.
In addition to Troylo, Gala shared his life with Mambrú, Rampín, Ariel and Zaíra. And although some are no longer alive, they all remain close to him, in the cemetery for his dogs that he built in the garden of his estate, “La Baltasara.”
One of the most moving texts Gala dedicated to animals is A Common Story, an interior monologue that conveys, with admirable sensitivity and like no other text, a dog's feelings for its human friends: that faithful, generous love; as well as the most absolute helplessness when the dog does not receive everything it deserves. We encourage you to listen to it:
For this reason, Antonio Gala's legacy, his unconditional love and his courage in expressing that love when no one else yet dared to have marked a before and after in Spanish society. Gala is a key and inspiring figure. We are making progress in raising awareness of, respecting and protecting animals thanks to people like him. So, from ARISTOPET, we would like to give him our sincere and heartfelt thanks.