The publication of these masterworks completes a prolific year in terms of translation. It started with Dark Vales a classic of fin de siècle Catalan Literature written by Raimon Casellas, a leading figure in Modernisme (Dedalus, tr. Alan Yates, ed. Eva Bosch). There has also been an excellent sampling of contemporary writers. Other novels published in the UK this year include: Love in Small Letters, by Frances Miralles and Vanilla Salt by Ada Parellada (both Alma Books, tr. Julie Wark ) and anthologies by two leading lights of Catalan poetry: Fifty Love Poems by Montserrat Abelló (tr. Montserrat Abelló, ed. Ester Pou) and The Body’s Reason by Maria Mercè-Marçal (both Francis Boutle Publishers, tr. Montserrat Abelló and Noèlia Diaz-Vicedo.)
UNCERTAIN GLORY
Juan Goytisolo considers Uncertain Glory to be ‘the great novel of the Spanish Civil War’ not only for its careful, complex structure but also for its unique approach. Written from the viewpoint of the losing side, the novel contains no political message nor does it exalt any political party. It has withstood the test of time because of its sheer power and can be read today with the same intensity that went into its writing. Sales’s masterpiece is a meditation on the universal themes of love, death and heroism. Uncertain Glory is the first novel written by Joan Sales, who was also known as an editor, not least for In Diamond Square, which came out in English last year (Virago, tr. Peter Bush).
Joan Sales’s Uncertain Glory (translated by Peter Bush with a foreword by Juan Goytisolo) is published by Maclehose Press in the UK on 2nd October 2014. Contact Corinna Zifko on corinna.zifko@quercusbooks.co.uk for information
Uncertain Glory is the best novel written in the Iberian Peninsula in the 20th century. — Juan Goytisolo
THE GRAY NOTEBOOK
The Gray Notebook is one of the most celebrated works of twentieth-century Catalan literature, admired as much for its pitch-perfect prose as for its shrewd observation of the human comedy, the great book of the great city of Barcelona and of life on the beach. The Grey Notebook by Josep Pla, published by New York Review of Books was first released in the United Sates in April 2014 to excellent coverage and will be out in the UK next month after seeing a great media coverage.
Josep Pla’s The Gray Notebook (translated by Peter Bush) is published by New York Review of Books in the UK on 6 November 2014. Contact Emma O’Bryen on eobr@blueyonder.co.uk for information
Josep Pla was a great noticer of things and places; his gaze was alert and dry; he wrote in a style which registered both the smallest detail and the large picture. His relationship to Catalan identity and Spanish history was complex, often ambiguous. His relationship, however, to the scene in front of him, or the days in which he lived, remains fascinating for its clarity, its sharpness, its originality and its wit. On display in his work is a glittering and sparkling sensibility. —Colm Tóibín
CONFESSIONS
An instant bestseller in nine languages, Confessions is an astonishing story of one man’s life, interwoven with a narrative that stretches across centuries to create an addictive and unforgettable literary symphony. Ambitious, powerful and deeply moving, with an overwhelming theme of guilt and redemption, Confessions is a consummate masterpiece in any language, with an ending that will not just leave you thinking, but probably change the way you think forever.
Jaume Cabré’s Confessions (translated by Mara Faye Lethem) is published by Arcadia Books in the UK on 30 October 2014. Contact Katherine Stroud, PR Collective on Katherine@prcollective.co.uk for information
Hitting the jackpot with Confessions, Cabré’s is a story of European history from the Inquisition to Auschwitz —Le Figaro
The translation of these books has been supported by the Institut Ramon Llull, whose Literature and the Humanities Department promotes the translation and presentation abroad of Catalan literature through various channels. This includes providing support to translators, publishers, non-profit organisations, literary agencies and writers. It also informs and advises foreign publishers on available funding. The IRL attends the following book fairs: Frankfurt, Göteborg, London, Paris and Turin.
Further literary events to be announced very soon. Subscribe to our Newsletter to learn more
Past events:
2 and 7 October - Women's poetry in Catalan and Occitan
Francis Boutle Publishers present two evenings of women's poetry in Catalan and Occitan with Noèlia Diaz Vicedo and Jessica Pujol reading their poems in Catalan and Aurélia Lassaque reading her poems in Occitan with a special tribute to Catalan poet Montserrat Abelló. The events will take place on 2 October, National Poetry Day at Waterstones Picadilly, and 7 October at the Karamel Restaurant
14 and 15 October - Ada Parellada launches 'Vanilla Salt' in Liverpool and at Manchester Literature Festival
Acclaimed Catalan chef Ada Parellada will present her novel Vanilla Salt at restaurant Lunya in Liverpool on 14 October and at the Instituto Cervantes Manchester, as part of Manchester Literature Festival, on 15 October. The novel, a sensual exploration of the kitchen and the human heart, is published in English by Alma Books and translated by Julie Wark.
16 and 17 October – Meet the author of 'Barcelona Shadows' Marc Pastor
Meet CSI and writer Marc Pastor who will talk about 'Barcelona Shadows' his celebrated novel about a real-life female killer, published by Pushkin Press in a translation by Mara Faye Lethem. The writer will be the special guest at Litro Book club get-together on 16 October and will give a talk and sign books at Waterstones Covent Garden on Friday 17 October.
