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.
C
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.
Francis CARCO
(Nouméa, New Caledonia, 1886 – Paris, 1958)
Francis Carco is the pen name of French poet, novelist and journalist, François Carcopino-Tusoli. Interested in the bohemian life of his time, he describes characteristic urban environments from the beginning of the 20th Century, particularly those from Paris and Barcelona.
Josep CARNER
(Barcelona, 1894 – Uccle, Bèlgica, 1979)
Poet, playwright, translator, and journalist, he was a leading figure in the Catalan cultural movement Noucentisme. Known as "the prince of Catalan poets", he is the author of poetry books such as Els fruits saborosos (1906) and Nabí (1938), among many others, as well as a renowned work of prose including titles such as Les Bonhomies (1925). Graduated in Law and Philosophy and Literature, he is a practising diplomat in several countries.
Maite CARRANZA
(Barcelona, 1958)
Graduated in Anthropology, she is a novelist, children's and young people’s author, a television scriptwriter, and university lecturer. Author of novels El fruit de baobab (2013) and Sin invierno (1999), she has an extensive portfolio of children's and young people’s literature. In 1986 she published Ostres tu, quin cacau!, which won her the Crítics Award in 1987. Other prominent works by the author include: Frena, Càndida, frena! (1992), Vols ser el nòvio de la meva germana? (2002, awarded Edebé children’s literature prize), Paraules emmetzinades (2010, Critics Award 2011) and La pel·lícula de la vida (2016, El Vaixell de Vapor Award).
Joan CARRERAS
(Barcelona, 1962)
Journalist, university teacher and writer, Joan Carreras worked for some time in television until he devoted himself only to writing. Winner of the Sant Jordi Prize in 2014 with L'àguila negra, he is also the author of Carretera secundària and Cafè Barcelona, which won a Ciutat de Barcelona award in 2014. His most recent novel is La dona del Cadillac (2017).