Writers and Barcelona
Barcelona has been and keeps being a perfect scene for literary works, a source of inspiration for writers who were born here and a welcoming place for writers from around the world who have described it in their books.
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Jaume CABRÉ
(Barcelona, 1947)
Writer and scriptwriter, he is one of the Catalan literature authors of greatest international standing, thanks to the outreach of his novels such as The Voices of Pamano (2004) and Confessions (2011), translated into more than twenty languages. Winner of numerous literary prizes awarded in the city, in 2014, he won the City of Barcelona award for international projection thanks to the success of the translations of his novel Confessions. His work Senyoria (1991) is set in eighteenth century Barcelona.
Maria CABRERA
(Girona, 1983)
Poet and associate professor at the Department of Catalan Philology and General LInguistics of the University of Barcelona, in 2016 she won the Carles Riba poetry award for her work La ciutat cansada. She is also author of the work Jonàs [Jonah] (2004) and La matinada clara[Bright Morning] (2010). In 2011, she participated along with other poets, in the volume Ningú no ens representa. Poetes emprenyats, as part of an initiative by the 15-M Movement demonstration at Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya.
Pere CALDERS
(Barcelona, 1912 – 1994)
Exiled in Mexico for twenty-three years, he is author of novels such as L'ombra de l'atzavara (1964, Sant Jordi Award 1963) and La ciutat cansada (recuperated in 2008). Some of his most prominent and well-known stories are included in his collections, such as Chroncles of the Hidden Truth (1955. Víctor Català award 1954), Here Rests Nevares (1967) and Subtle Invasion and Other Stories (1978). In 1986, he received the Catalan Literature Award of Honour.
Agustí CALVET (Gaziel)
(Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 1887 – Barcelona, 1964)
Journalist and writer, he is the director of Barcelona based newspaper La Vanguardia (1920-1936). He excels as a biographer with work such as Tots els camins duen a Roma. Història d'un destí (1958), Història de La Vanguardia (1884-1936) (1971) and Meditacions en el desert (1946-1954) (1974).
Roser CAMINALS
(Barcelona, 1956)
A writer and professor of Spanish literature in the United Stated, she is the author of numerous novels set in Barcelona: Once Remembered Twice Lived (1995), The Street of Three Beds (2002), La petita mort (2004), La dona de mercuri (2006) and Els aliats de la nit (2015).
Francisco CANDEL
(Casas Altas, Comunitat Valenciana, 1925 – Barcelona, 2007)
Writer and journalist, he moved to the district of Can Tunis in Barcelona at the age of two, which is reflected in his first work Donde la ciudad cambia su nombre (1957). Her work Els altres catalans (1964), an essay on immigration in Catalonia became a bestseller for Candel.
Maria Aurèlia CAPMANY
(Barcelona, 1918 – 1991)
Novelist, essayist, story writer, translator, and playwright. In 1959, together with Ricard Salvat, she founded the Adrià Gual Dramatic Arts School. She was Councillor for Culture at Barcelona City Council during the eighties, and a regular contributor in different media. Her extensive work includes novels Betúlia (1956), Un lloc entre els morts (1967 for which she received the Sant Jordi Prize in 1968) and Feliçment, jo sóc una dona (1969).
Joan CARANDELL
(Barcelona, 1901 – Sant Pere de Ribes, 1988)
Lawyer and writer, primarily a novelist. He publishes his work under his pen name Llorenç Sant Marc. He is the author of work such asTemps enrera (1966), Males companyies (1970) and La brillant història (1971), in which he portrays the Barcelona of the beginning of the twentieth century. He was president of the Society of Economic Studies of Barcelona.
Josep Maria CARANDELL
(Barcelona, 1934 – 2002)
Journalist and writer, much of his work was dedicated to the city of Barcelona: L'Eixample (1982), Mirades a la Plaça Reial (1983), La Rambla i els seus misteris (1986), Diàlegs a Barcelona (1986), El temple de la Sagrada Família (1997), Park Güell: una utopia de Gaudí (1999), La pedrera. Una obra d'art total (2002) o Palau de la música catalana (2003). His novel Prínceps (1985, recuperated in 2009) is set in the middle of the twentieth century Barcelona.
Joaquim CARBÓ
(Caldes de Malavella, 1932)
Author of novels such as L'escapada (1967), El carreró contra Còssima (1969), L'altre barri (1991), Retrat amb negra (2005) and Va com va! (2015), he is particularly well-known for his contribution to children’s and young people’s literature, to which he dedicated the majority of his creations. His work La casa sota la sorra [The House Under the Sand] (1966), with over ninety editions, is one of the most successful books in Catalan children’s and young people’s literature. Among others, he won the 1964 Victor Català Award for Solucions provisionals, the 1969 Josep M. Folch i Torres award for I tu, què hi fas aquí? and the 1981 Joaquim Ruyra award for young people’s literature for his work La casa sobre el gel. In 2011, he was awarded the Trajectòria de la Setmana Award for Catalan literature.