MARCELA BOLE

Marcela Bole, born Gec, was born on 18 June 1914 in Šepulje, Slovenia, near Sežana as the fourth child in a family of six children of Justina Žvab and Peter Gec.

After migrating to Australia, Marcela wrote her first prose in 1956 at the time she was attending the Slovenian dances in Prahran, Melbourne.  In 1979, in the long nights when Marcela was sick, she began to write prose and poems again.  She bought herself a typewriter at the age of 64 and taught herself to type. Marcela was passionate about writing poems and stories about her life experiences, friends, family and events of interest.  After being encouraged by various people, Marcela sent her poems to Slovenian newspapers and radio.  

At first she read her poems on radio 3EA on incentive of Kati Hartner and Helena Leber and later on Elica Rizmal and Meta Lenarčič.  Alexandra Čeferin and her husband Drago encouraged her to further her writing and connected her with the Art Society resulting in 1984 as the first collection of poems published under the title Kraški izlivi – Karst Spills.  Two more collections of poems were published which include  Iz Krasa po svetu – From Karst to the World in 1989 with the support of Savina Venier and followed by Kraški odmevi – Karst Echoes in 1991 with the support of Draga Gelt.  Marcela has left a lot of unpublished material.

More on Marcela Bole and her family.

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