First published in 1906, the love story between Josafat, a bell ringer at the church of Santa Maria de Girona, and Fineta, a prostitute, has surprised and moved several generations of readers. Over the years, it has become an undeniable classic of contemporary literature and one of the key novels of the Modernista period. Evidence of such importance is the fact that it is one of the works with the highest number of editions in Catalan in the 20th century. More than a century after it was published, Peter Bush’s translation brings it to British bookshops for the first time. 

In fact, the first translation of the novel, which enabled it to be read beyond the boundaries of Catalonia, was published by the Munich-based Georg Müller Verlag in 1918. That edition, translated by Eberhard Vogel, had the added interest of incorporating 22 specially commissioned drawings by the prestigious Austrian artist Alfred Kubin. However, as the novel mistakenly appeared under the name of Josep Pous i Pagès, it remained unknown in Catalonia for many years. In September of this year, Ela Geminada published a new edition of Josafat with 22 illustrations by Kubin, one of Europe’s most significant Expressionist artists. 

Prudenci Bertrana (Tordera, 1867 – Barcelona, 1941) rebelled against his Carlist, landowning family and embraced the republican cause throughout his career. He worked as a writer, portraitist, journalist and editor of satirical journals, first in Girona and then in Barcelona. Bertrana is the author of several short stories and an autobiographical trilogy. Josafat is his most widely read work. 

Peter Bush is one of the most prestigious translators of Catalan literature. He has translated modern classics by great authors, including La plaça del Diamant (In Diamond Square) by Mercè Rodoreda; Incerta glòria (Uncertain Glory) by Joan Sales and La vida amarga (Life Embitters) by Josep Pla, as well as works by more recent authors like Teresa Solana, Francesc Serés and Najat El Hachmi. He also translates from French, Portuguese and Spanish, and specialises mainly in works by the Catalan writer Juan Goytisolo. In 2014, he was awarded the Premi Ramon Llull for Literary Translation for his translation into English of El quadern gris (The Gray Notebook) by Josep Pla. In 2015, he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, the most distinguished award given by the Government of Catalonia, for his work promoting Catalan culture and as “today’s most significant translator of Catalan literature into the English language”.