Faberllull brings together for the first time a group of translators of the work of Mireia Calafell, one of the most internationally renowned contemporary Catalan poets, who will also take part in some of the activities scheduled during the residency.
This gathering, promoted by the Institut Ramon Llull, is a valuable opportunity for translators to get to know the poet, her work and her sources of inspiration more deeply, and to share influences from other authors. It also presents a unique occasion to work on poems from her latest books, Si una emergència (2023) and Aquesta sang (2024), while also helping to strengthen the translators’ network.
Programme of activities
Between 9 and 13 June, the residents will translate some of Calafell's poems and share their work with the other participants. The stay began on Monday. Today, Mireia Calafell gave them a short recital, and the translators will later read and present the translation of a poem written in their native language that reminds them of a text by Calafell. This will take place in a very special session at the Aiguamolls de la Moixina (Olot), in the heart of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park.
In addition to focusing on Mireia Calafell’s work, the participants will also discover other Catalan poets, to encourage translation into their respective languages. In this regard, on Wednesday, the residency coordinator, Francesco Ardolino, will lead a presentation on Catalan poetry from the last quarter-century, suggesting readings and possible itineraries. On the same day, the director of the Literature Department at the Institut Ramon Llull, Izaskun Arretxe, will present the Institut Ramon Llull's translator support programmes.
On Thursday, Bernat Reher (editor at laBreu edicions) and Unai Velasco (editor and founder of Ultramarinos ediciones) will talk to the translators about how a poetry catalogue is built and the role of the translator. Following this, the president of the Association of Writers in the Catalan Language (AELC), Sebastià Portell, will engage in dialogue with translators Ilaria Perrino and Mercè Ubach to present the AELC's literary translation consultancy programme.
That same Thursday at 6 p.m., the translators will take part in a public event at the Isop bookshop in Olot. It will be a conversation among the translators moderated by one of the participants, Hungarian translator Dora Bakucz, reflecting on whether translators are also poets and whether one needs to be a poet to translate poetry. They will also share with the audience their adaptations of Calafell’s poems into different languages and discuss the poet’s universe.
The translators
At Faberllull, the following translators will be in residence: Nathalie Bittoun-Debruyne (French translator), Ilaria Ilaria Sofia Perrino (Italian translator), Helena González Fernández (Galician translator), Unai Velasco (Spanish translator), Itxaro Borda (Basque translator), Rebecca Simpson (English translator), Marta Pawlowska (Polish translator), Guillermo Álvarez Sellán (German translator) and Dora Bakucz (Hungarian translator).
