The Institute of Almeria Studies of the Almeria Provincial Council has added a new work to its collection of children’s fiction. It is the children’s poetry book ‘El Camaleón Temblón’ by the Albojense author Martín Torregrosa with illustrations by José Fernando Mellado.
The book tells the story of Marcelino, a chameleon who travels from London with Amalia to La Aljambra, “a small hamlet in the northwest of Almeria” where, after a series of coincidences, Marta, “the ferret” frees Marcelino from the cage that held him captive for so long. Happy for the freedom he has achieved, he keeps running from one place to another while he discovers a new world for him. Marta will become his best friend and saviour.
The director of the IEA, Francisco Alonso, highlighted the importance of a work that adds to the Narrativa Almeriense collection and that represents a new impulse to bring the literature of the IEA to all the publics of the world. “Martín Torregrosa’s poems have the added value of being set in the province of Almería. He is also helping to disseminate literature among the province’s youngest children while at the same time spreading the word about our landscape heritage. We are proud that he is publishing his second children’s book with the Instituto de Estudios Almerienses”.
Martín Torregrosa López, who was born in the Almerian town of Albox in 1957, has published the poetry collections: ‘Azul es el Color de los Desheredados’, (Huerga y Fierro, Madrid, 2004) shortlisted for the Blas de Otero prize with a foreword by Francisco Domene; ‘Setecientos versos para Maindra’, (Renacimiento, Calle del Aire collection, Seville 2014) with a foreword by Raquel Lanseros and ‘El tren de la lluvia’ (Renacimiento, Hipocampo collection, Seville 2014) with a foreword by Daniel Rodríguez Moya.
Some of his poems have been included in more than a dozen anthologies, among others are in ‘Poesía Almeriense Contemporánea’, (edition by Pedro M. Domene and José Antonio Sáez, Batarro, 1992), ‘Homenaje a José Hierro’ (Edition by Domingo Nicolás, IEA, 1999). Almería Dorada, Los cuadernos de Sandua’, coordinator of the collection Antonio Rodríguez Jiménez, Córdoba 2001).
He also appears in ‘El siglo de Oro de la poesía taurina’ (Prologue compilation and notes Salvador Arias Nieto, Aula de cultura la Veneciana and Fundación Gerardo Diego, Santander 2003); ‘Homenaje a la fiesta literaria de la belleza andaluza’, held in the Ateneo de Sevilla in 1923, (Edition by Enrique Barrero González, Ateneo de Sevilla, 2007) and ‘Versos que abrazan, “poesía contra la violencia de género” (Ayuntamiento de Almería 2017).
As far as children’s literature is concerned, Martín Torregrosa has published ‘Alvarito y el Mar’, (IEA. Colección letras, children’s poetry, number 98, 2016) with illustrations by Eva Muñoz García and now appears ‘El camaleón Temblón’, (IEA. Colección letras, children’s story, number 130, 2021) with illustrations by José Fernando Mellado.
Illustrations of the work
The illustrator of ‘El camaleón temblón’ is José Fernando Mellado, born in Albox in 1981. He has a degree in Fine Arts from the Alonso Cano University in Granada and is a Higher Technician in Design from the Art School of Granada. He studied photography at the Escuela Taller Albaizín in Granada. He has worked as a graphic designer, has collaborated with La Comarca Noticias and taught drawing and painting in several academies in Almería and Murcia. He is currently a secondary school teacher. He lives in Águilas.
Among other awards he has obtained the National Prize for the creation of characters published by Nintendo Magazine in Madrid in 2004 and the Bacardi National Prize, creation of graphic image in 2007 as well as the first prize for painting from the Murcia Town Planning Council in 2009.