Literary inspiration in Barcelona: the experience of Simonas Bernotas

Simonas Bernotas, Lithuanian poet, translator and editor, explains that he has lived a transformative experience during the course of his literary residency in Vil·la Joana. This stay has allowed him to immerse himself in Catalan culture and to advance in various literary projects, including the translation of poems and novels. ‘It has also helped me to find very interesting texts by contemporary writers that I would like to translate in the future,’ he says.

Bernotas says that Barcelona has been a constant source of inspiration, both when writing new poems and translating verses by Maria Sevilla Paris into Lithuanian. The meeting in Vil·la Joana in the programme of the last Barcelona Poesia festival led him to translate poems by José Eugenio Sánchez. And he also visited many bookshops: ‘From a certain moment I started to avoid them, because every time I went in there I carried a few books with me, and in the end they wouldn’t fit in my suitcase!’, he recalls.

During his residency, Bernotas had the opportunity to attend various cultural events, such as the Barcelona Poetry Festival: ‘I was impressed by the recital of Catalan poets and flamenco singing at the Frederic Marès Museum, with Sílvia Bel, Juan Manuel Galeas, José “el Chote” and Fran León’. He also visited the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, where he was fascinated by Suzanne Valadon’s temporary exhibition. In addition, he went to jazz concerts and flamenco shows: ‘Barcelona’s active and vibrant creative life has inspired me’, he assures.

Simonas Bernotas is currently working on a text about his neighbourhood for a cultural magazine, as well as on new poems and a play.

More information about the residences in Vil·la Joana, in this link.