María Elena Walsh

María Elena Walsh was an Argentine poet, novelist, musician, playwright, writer and composer, mainly known for her songs and books for children. Her work includes many of the most popular children's books and songs of all time in her home country.

Biography

María Elena Walsh was born in Villa Sarmiento, Morón, Greater Buenos Aires, to a railway worker of Irish descent who played the piano, and a woman of Spanish descent. As a child, she lived in a big house, where she greatly enjoyed reading and listening to music in a cultural environment. When she was 15, Walsh had some of her poems published in El Hogar and La Nación. In 1947, before graduating from art school, she published her first book, Otoño Imperdonable, a collection of poems that was critically acclaimed and received recognition from important Latin American writers.
After graduation in 1948, she traveled to North America at the invitation of poet Juan Ramón Jiménez, and Europe during the era of Peronism and then moved to Paris, where she spent four years in the early 1950s. While there, Walsh performed in concerts featuring Argentine folklore with fellow Argentine singer Leda Valladares, forming the duo "Leda & María" and recording for Le chant du monde. Some of these recordings were exchanged with "Topic Records" in England in the late 1950s.
She returned to Argentina in 1956 after the Revolución Libertadora. From 1958 onwards, Walsh wrote numerous TV scripts, plays, poems, books and songs, specially dedicated to young children. She was also a successful performer, singing her own songs onstage and recording them later in albums, like Canciones para mirar, Canciones para mí and El País de Nomeacuerdo. Juguemos en el mundo, also an album, was a satirical show for adults, which was made into a film of the same title, albeit with a story unrelated to the original stage show and songs recording. The film was based on her characters Doña Disparate y Bambuco and was directed by her partner at that time, Maria Herminia Avellaneda.
Her work has often contained an underlying political message, as in the song El País del Nomeacuerdo, which was later used as the theme song for the film The Official Story, winner of the 1985 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
During the military dictatorship she was a fierce opponent, her song "Oración a la justicia" became a civil right anthem. In an open letter she criticized the regime censorship comparing the country to a preschool, calling it "Desventuras en el Pais-Jardin-de-Infantes".
In 1985 she received the title of Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires, and in 1990 was named Doctor honoris causa of the National University of Cordoba and Illustrious People of Buenos Aires Province as well.
In 1994 she was Highly Commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a prize awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People.
Walsh has been considered a "living legend, cultural hero crest of nearly every childhood".

Death

María Elena Walsh died of bone cancer in Buenos Aires, aged 80, on 10 January 2011.

Personal life

Walsh's partner from 1978 until her death in 2011 was Sara Facio, an Argentine photographer, best-known herself for having photographed, along with Alicia D'Amico, various cultural personalities, including Argentine writers Julio Cortázar and Alejandra Pizarnik.

Books

Walsh published her first poem at the age of 15, in El Hogar magazine of Argentina. Her favorite audience was children, for whom she wrote more than 40 books. The following list includes mainly complete books but also some long newspaper articles.
;Books for adults:Otoño imperdonable – edited by Walsh at 17Apenas Viaje Baladas con Ángel with Ángel BonominiCasi Milagro Hecho a Mano Juguemos en el mundo La Sirena y el Capitán - 1974 Cancionero contra el Mal de Ojo Los Poemas Novios de Antaño Desventuras en el País-Jardín-de-Infantes Hotel Pioho's Palace Fantasmas en el Parque
;Books for children:La Mona Jacinta La Familia Polillal Tutú Marambá Circo de Bichos Tres Morrongos El Reino del Revés Zoo Loco Cuentopos de Gulubú Dailán Kifki Versos para Cebollitas Versos Folklóricos para Cebollitas Aire Libre Versos Tradicionales para Cebollitas El Diablo Inglés Angelito El País de la Geometría Chaucha y Palito Veo Veo Bisa Vuela Los Glegos La Nube Traicionera
Notes: This book reprinted her famous letter against censorship in Argentina, originally published by Clarín newspaper on 16 August 1979.
Due to the publication of that article, Walsh herself would be censored by the Military Government of Argentina.

Discography

Walsh recorded many albums with songs for children and for adults too. Her first albums were strongly influenced by Argentine folklore, working with composer and singer Leda Valladares.
The album Canciones para Mí was her first release as a soloist, containing the songs Canción de Tomar el Té and Manuelita la tortuga. This would become Walsh's best-known song.
;as "Leda y María", with Leda Valladares:Chant d'Argentine Souns le Ciel de l'Argentine Entre Valles y Quebradas Vol. 1 & 2 Canciones del Tiempo de Maricastaña Leda y María Cantan Villancicos Canciones de Tutú Marambá ⁶
;as "María Elena Walsh":Canciones para Mirar ¹Doña Disparate y Bambuco Navidad para los Chicos Canciones para Mí ²Canciones para Mirar El País de Nomeacuerdo ³El País de la Navidad Cuentopos Juguemos en el Mundo Cuentopos para el Recreo Juguemos en el Mundo II ⁴El Sol no tiene Bolsillos Como la Cigarra ⁵El Buen Modo De Puño y Letra
Notes:¹ Contains the classics El Reino del Revés, Canción del Jardinero, La Vaca Estudiosa, La Mona Jacinta.² This was Walsh's first album as a soloist, with the hits Canción de tomar el té, Manuelita la tortuga, El twist del Mono Liso. ³ Includes the songs la Reina Batata, Canción del Jacarandá.⁴ After many years of recording LP with songs for children, Walsh wrote and recorded an album for adult audiences.⁵ The song Como la Cigarra became a huge hit. The album also contains other successful songs like Carta de un León a Otro, with strong politic references.