Dénia hosted a special event this Sunday for close the program dedicated to the writer María Ibars awarded by the Valencian Language Academy (AVL) during the year 2024. The central event was the unveiling of a bust of the author in the Glorieta del País Valencià, a space in the heart of the city that, according to the mayor, has become a "writers' corner".
An emotional event with authorities and family
The event was attended by local authorities, including the mayor of Dénia, Vicent Grimalt, and the Councilor for Culture, Raúl García de la Reina, as well as the president of the AVL, Veronica sang. Also present were members of María Ibars' family, like his grandson Manuel Ángel Payá, who expressed their gratitude and deep affection that the family has always maintained around the city.
María Ibars, considered "great writer" y "pioneer in the use of Valencian", was recognized as "adopted daughter of the city of Dénia" in 2016. His link with the locality It was constant and profound, marked by family and personal ties, as well as by the inspiration that Dénia meant for his work. Had "great affection for this land" y "great friendships" in Dénia. His father bought properties in what they consider "the two best places" from the city: the Salar y Les Rotes, where his house was located Penyamar, reflecting the author's connection with the sea and the Dianense mountains.
A writer who immortalized Dénia
The president of the AVL highlighted María Ibars as the writer who "He better literatized Dénia and its region", portraying their customs, trades, traditions and the particular landscapeHe described Dénia, through the work of Ibars, as a "paradise" or with a "shelter for Valencian writers"The dedication of the year 2024 by the AVL sought "save her from oblivion" and place it in the preeminent place it deserves as part of the "cultural and linguistic heritage".
El bust inaugurated, work of Jose Luis Saldaña y Paco Valderrama, is located in Glorieta looking at It montgó, the massif "source of inspiration for his work", and is accompanied by other writers such as the bust of Joan Chabas and the plate of Vicent Andrés EstellésThe Councillor for Culture mentioned various previous recognition initiatives to the author by the city, as a street dedicated to her, the conversion of the Marineta promenade on a "poet's tour", publications from local institutions, and the promotion of a postage stamp.
The mayor, Vicent Grimalt, began his speech with a literary story which evoked the figure of María Ibars and her connection with Penyamar and the seaHe presented the book published by the City Council, Maria Ibars. To the vora of Penyamar, to the shadow of Montgó, Tony Reig and Sofia Armengol, designed for spread his figure and work so closely linked to the city. The mayor concluded that the act put "The end of this story that sought to recover a history of mutual devotion between Dénia and María", a story that the The inaugurated bust will be responsible for keeping it alive.
The day was described by the president of the AVL as the "icing on the cake" o "the icing on the cake" of the tribute to the author. Dénia, by hosting this final event, publicly declares its esteem "not only to María Ibars, but to the language and culture of Valencians".
