The Vault of Letters Opens to Safeguard the Legacy of Juan Gil-Albert

The memory of Juan Gil-Albert is more alive than ever. His legacy prompted the Instituto Cervantes to open the Vault of Letters this Tuesday. From midday, the vault has safeguarded the heritage of the illustrious writer from Alcoy, making him the third person from Alicante, alongside Miguel Hernández and Vicente Molina Foix, to have his own box - number 1,601 - in this secure chamber.

The moment, both fleeting and eternal, included not only the material legacy of Juan Gil-Albert but also the presence of his family. His great-niece, Claudia Simón Aura, attended the building of the caryatids on Alcalá Street in Madrid to deliver the heritage for deposit. This event also marked the 121st anniversary of the author, born on April 1, 1904, in Alcoi.

Thus, a pair of glasses belonging to the essayist and poet, along with three handwritten poems - 'Epithalamium to the Sister', 1935; 'Farewell to a Year', 1936; and 'My Nostalgia, Tribute to Játiva', 1964 - one of his photographs, and a copy of the magazine 'Canelobre' dedicated to Gil-Albert - lent by the Alicante Provincial Council - now rest inside this vault installed beneath Madrid.

All of this remains safeguarded under the two keys that seal and protect Juan Gil-Albert's box, one owned by the Instituto Cervantes and the other by the Alicante Provincial Council, whose Culture Deputy, Juan de Dios Navarro, acted as a witness to the event. On this occasion, and as a symbolic gesture, a third key was presented to the family of the Alcoyan poet and essayist.

Prior to the deposition of the legacy, the interior of the Vault of Letters hosted words - followed on screen from the auditorium, close to the chamber - of praise and homage to Juan Gil-Albert, expressed by the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, and the president of the Provincial Council, Toni Pérez. Alongside them were Deputy Navarro, the regional secretary of Culture, Pilar Tébar, and the director of the IAC, Cristina Martínez.

"The best way to commit to our future is to receive the inheritances of our past," celebrated the director of the Instituto Cervantes, Luis García Montero, who recalled and reviewed the trajectory of Juan Gil-Albert, highlighting his exile in Mexico and his subsequent return to the province of Alicante, always with "his discreet memory."

The poet and professor, responsible for this public body, also highlighted various works of Juan Gil-Albert, such as 'Fascination of the Unreal', "an example of how to receive inheritances to establish relationships with the present and the current times." The Alcoyan was influenced by other authors, such as Gabriel Miró, and movements like the Generation of '27 and the Avant-garde.

The president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Toni Pérez, recited one of Gil-Albert's aphorisms: "It is not the events that change us, it is ourselves." He added his own reflection, noting that "there are indeed some that change us a little, like the act of this day."

In the tribute to the Alcoyan, the provincial leader highlighted his "silent dignity" and the Provincial Council's eagerness to "honour our great author and commit to spreading his legacy and disseminating his work," recalling the decision of the Alicante Institute of Culture to rename itself after Juan Gil-Albert. "It was decided that this should be its name."

After the tribute and the safeguarding of the legacy, with the box now sealed, the delegation moved to the auditorium to conclude the event with a dramatized reading of the fourth sequence of the play 'Valentín', performed by actor Juan Ramón Torregrosa.