María Amelia López Soliño
Encyclopedia
María Amelia López Soliño (23 December 1911, Corcubión
, A Coruña
, Galicia, Spain – 20 May 2009, Pontevedra
, Galicia, Spain) was the oldest-known woman blogger at the time of her death in 2009 aged 97.
She had been blog
ging for more than two years. The blog was set up for her as a gift from her grandson, Daniel, to mark her 95th birthday. She received a visit from Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
and won an award from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle
for best Spanish language blog in 2008.
. Her father, a customs officer, did not permit her to study. After the Spanish Civil War
she married a teacher and raised one son. She helped raise her two grandchildren after the death of their mother. She was widowed after husband died following a lengthy illness
. On her 95th birthday, her grandson set up a blogsite for her to keep her mentally alert and active in her last years.
Her blogs included chats, reminiscences, politics and advice, with topics from the Spanish Civil War
, the decades of General Francisco Franco
's fascist
dictatorship to modern politics, including Basque separatism and Iran's nuclear ambitions, to what it was like growing old.
López Soliño held socialist beliefs since her childhood, but had been forbidden to join any political parties by her father, especially due to the political violence in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. In 1936 her family saved the life of the son of a Republican (anti-Fascist) commander; that son later became one of her regular internet contacts. She was forced to dictate her entries to her grandson due to cataracts. Her fame as a blogger led to the visit by the Spanish Prime Minister.
"My grandson gave me this blog when I was 95 on December 23, 2006 and my life changed ... [On] December 23, 2006, my grandson gave me a present, this blog when I was 95 years old ... and my life changed ... now, I can communicate and interact with the world ... [S]ince that day I've had 1,570,784 visits from bloggers from 5 continents who have cheered up my old age ... [W]hen I'm on the Internet, I forget about my illness. The distraction is good for you—being able to communicate with people. It wakes up the brain, and gives you great strength."
In November 2007, López Soliño's blog won a prize for Best Spanish Language Blog at the BOBS
ceremony organised by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle
.
A banner on her site read "Rest in Peace", with nearly 500 messages mourning her death.
Corcubión
Corcubión or Corcubiom in the AGAL ortógraphy of galician language, is a municipality of Spain in the Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia.The local government of this municipality was the first public institution to officially use the AGAL norm of the galician language...
, A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
, Galicia, Spain – 20 May 2009, Pontevedra
Pontevedra
Pontevedra is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city...
, Galicia, Spain) was the oldest-known woman blogger at the time of her death in 2009 aged 97.
She had been blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ging for more than two years. The blog was set up for her as a gift from her grandson, Daniel, to mark her 95th birthday. She received a visit from Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
and won an award from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
for best Spanish language blog in 2008.
Early life
López Soliño was born in 1911 in the small village of Corcubión on the Costa da MorteCosta da Morte
Costa da Morte is part of the Spanish Galician coast. The Costa da Morte extends from the villages of Fisterra and Malpica.The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore...
. Her father, a customs officer, did not permit her to study. After the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
she married a teacher and raised one son. She helped raise her two grandchildren after the death of their mother. She was widowed after husband died following a lengthy illness
Blogging
She eventually went into a nursing home, but after eight years moved out to live with her grandson near PontevedraPontevedra
Pontevedra is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia . It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city...
. On her 95th birthday, her grandson set up a blogsite for her to keep her mentally alert and active in her last years.
Her blogs included chats, reminiscences, politics and advice, with topics from the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the decades of General Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
dictatorship to modern politics, including Basque separatism and Iran's nuclear ambitions, to what it was like growing old.
López Soliño held socialist beliefs since her childhood, but had been forbidden to join any political parties by her father, especially due to the political violence in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. In 1936 her family saved the life of the son of a Republican (anti-Fascist) commander; that son later became one of her regular internet contacts. She was forced to dictate her entries to her grandson due to cataracts. Her fame as a blogger led to the visit by the Spanish Prime Minister.
"My grandson gave me this blog when I was 95 on December 23, 2006 and my life changed ... [On] December 23, 2006, my grandson gave me a present, this blog when I was 95 years old ... and my life changed ... now, I can communicate and interact with the world ... [S]ince that day I've had 1,570,784 visits from bloggers from 5 continents who have cheered up my old age ... [W]hen I'm on the Internet, I forget about my illness. The distraction is good for you—being able to communicate with people. It wakes up the brain, and gives you great strength."
In November 2007, López Soliño's blog won a prize for Best Spanish Language Blog at the BOBS
The BOBs (weblog award)
The BOBs – Best of the Blogs - is the world’s largest international Weblog competition. Founded in 2004 and sponsored by Deutsche Welle, the German International Broadcasting Service....
ceremony organised by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
.
Posthumous
Following her death, her family left a final post, thanking readers for their support.- "[There were] 880 days when her blog made her happy ... the support she needed to enjoy her last days of life ... [W]hen somebody leaves after 97 years, living with joy from the beginning to the end, we can't be sad Wherever you are, grandmother, you will read these ... comments, all of them without doubt. She will laugh at some, will learn with others, she might get annoyed at the specific 'language' used in some ... but she will be happy reading all of them."
A banner on her site read "Rest in Peace", with nearly 500 messages mourning her death.