The Culture Councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Alberto Aguiar, and the CEO of the Tourist Centers, Benjamín Perdomo, traveled to the Refugio de Hilario, in the Montañas del Fuego, to attend the presentation of “The Secret of the Old Devil of Timanfaya”, a book written by Lorena Curbelo with illustrations by Idafane Jesús Elvira, which narrates the adventures and misadventures of the mítico and místico character who, according to legend, lives in the entrañas of the south of Lanzarote.
Aguiar praised a work of “extraordinary quality, which is the result of the good harmony between the Cabildo and the Tourist Centers and an ambitious Cultural Plan that we launched with the aim of giving visibility to the work of the island's artists so that Lanzarote would once again be an island admired for its vínculos with culture. Literature” señaló, “is an asset that opens our minds to an unlimited world. I am convinced that this book will help the reader, whatever their age, to discover and understand a fundamental part of the history of this island and the character and personality of those of us who live in it through the eyes of one of our most beloved and popular icons”.
Benjamín Perdomo, for his part, recalled that the Refugio de Hilario “was in a state of semi-abandonment. Taking advantage of the pandemic, we conditioned it to never forget who we were and, at the same time, provide ourselves with more elements to reinforce our tourist competitiveness. Similarly, after the pandemic we wanted to contribute to the resurgence of culture in Lanzarote by injecting one million euros into our budgets from last year and the current year 2023 to give life to projects such as Lorena Curbelo's, which cannot be left behind or remain in the inkwell on the island of Cesar Manrique”.
The event, guided by television presenter Vidal Bolaños, was attended by the prologuista, the professor of the IES Tinajo Norberto Hernández, who recalled the origin of “this adventure” and thanked “the absolute involvement and dedication of Lorena Curbelo” with the solidarity causes that the educational center makes its own; as well as the illustrator, Idafane Elvira who, excited, discovered some anécdotas of a process “slow, but that has ended up being magic. It has been an honor to have been able to work with Lorena Curbelo”, Elvira concluded.
Lorena Curbelo used láminas, illustrations and words to make her story an original story, to tell her vital journey from her childhood to literature, from physiotherapy to cooperation and international volunteering. “The secret of the devil of Timanfaya” exposed, “is tesón, solidarity and courage but, above all, it is resilience on an island that knows a lot about that”.
The writer from Lanzarote concluded her speech thanking “the unlimited support of the Tourist Centers and the Cabildo of Lanzarote, as well as the town halls of the island and other public and private entities”.
The event ended with the screening of a Book tráiler produced by Tenique Producciones with the collaboration of Cabrera Medina – CICAR, and the delivery of several gifts and souvenirs from the writer to those who have been her collaborators.
“The Secret of the Old Devil of Timanfaya” is a book in favor of the population affected by the eruption of La Palma and the NGO Aseda-Gambia that seeks to train the reader through a glossary of terms associated with the landscape and history of Lanzarote, and entertain, with several pages of fun and prácticas activities. The book is published by Cam- PDS editores and Canariasebook, it can be purchased at the publisher itself and in the Diama and Juncar bookstores.
