With a solid background in French Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid, where she also defended her doctoral thesis, Adelaida Porras Medrano dedicated years to university teaching. Her career took her from a teacher training college in Madrid to the Faculty of Philology in Seville, specializing in French and Francophone literature, with a particular focus on the literatures of the Maghreb.
Porras Medrano's connection to Torrelodones is deep and lasting. Her parents acquired a plot in Arroyo de Trofas in the early 1960s, building a house that became the epicenter of her childhood and, currently, her residence. After her early retirement, the writer returned to the municipality, solidifying her bond with the environment.
“"For me, it's mainly about nature. Apart from the emotional ties that bind me to Torrelodones, the nature here is wonderful, with those granite rocks that look like sleeping mammoths on the earth and the holm oaks, which for me are a magical tree."
The influence of Torrelodones is palpable in her literary production. An entire collection of poems, El regreso de la amazona (The Return of the Amazon), is dedicated to her return to the municipality, and numerous poems in other collections evoke its landscapes. Elements such as holm oaks, rockroses, and junipers are recurrent in her work, reflecting her deep connection to the local nature.
Regarding her beginnings in writing, Porras Medrano confesses that poetry arose from an intrinsic need. Although she appreciates narrative, she finds in poetry a way to express much in a concise space, capturing emotions and landscapes immediately. She is currently immersed in writing a detective and psychological novel, which she hopes to present at the upcoming Madrid Book Fair. The work explores the confrontation between two hairdresser friends, unraveling years of resentment and secrets.
The writer also addresses the current state of poetry, refuting the idea that it is going through a bad patch. She highlights the vitality of the poetic community and the role of social media as dissemination platforms. Among her artistic references, she mentions the 16th-century French poet Joachim du Bellay, a member of La Pléyade, and Miguel Hernández, whose work has inspired some of her lullabies.
Recently, Adelaida Porras Medrano was honored at the Bulevar Theater in Torrelodones, a recognition she describes as unexpected and deeply moving. This gesture from her own municipality filled her with gratitude for the appreciation of her contribution to culture.
