“Books, pencils, pens, the computer keyboard and, of course, news, messages, phone calls and my pet Tica are the indispensable companions in my days.” This is how Julia Calzadilla described her current life, in an interview conducted by this medium just a few months ago, and that was until her physical departure, which occurred on the morning of this April 26, at the age of 81.
The poet, translator, narrator, researcher and Egyptologist is considered one of the most heterogeneous intellectual figures of her time. Her diversity of facets led her to be part of different institutions, both inside and outside the country, among which the International Association of Egyptologists of the United Kingdom stands out, in which she represented Cuba since 2002. In addition, she was part of the Team Osiris Scientist, in Spain, as well as the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac), and the Cuban Association of Translators and Interpreters (ACTI).
Her love for literature was noticeable from a very young age, not only through reading, but she developed, early on, a curiosity for writing, and claimed to write poems and short stories since childhood, a passion that grew over the years. , until she became a renowned writer of both genres.
Children’s literature was mainly the branch that motivated Julia on different occasions. Her work Los Chichiricú del Charco de la Jícara (1988) From the beginning, she enjoyed popularity among children and adolescent readers, which led to the writer being awarded the Casa de las Américas Prize in the category of literature for children and young people in 1984, a recognition that she had already received before, in in 1976, for his book Songs of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Calzadilla left more than 30 books to Cuban readers, and he received dozens of literary and scientific awards during his work in various fields. All this, combined with tireless work in teaching. A teacher by nature, she dedicated her life to cultivating, through trials and research, some areas as remote for this part of the world as Egyptology.
Distinctions such as Gitana Tropical (2002), from the Provincial Directorate of Culture of Havana, and the Astrid Lindgren Prize (2014), in the field of children’s and youth literature, awarded by the International Federation of Translators (FIT), are just a few. of those achieved during his career.
For the intellectual, life was calm, she appreciated the minute details of everything that happened around her, and she assured that this was what was truly beautiful, what kept her days happy. She wrote to the children she never had, she wished for peace in every corner of the planet, and today, after her physical departure, all that remains is to remember her for what she was, a woman of science and culture, who leaves as a legacy the best she had: his work.
