The season opens with a significant Catalan literary presence at prestigious festivals, alongside the participation of writers, translators, and illustrators in various translation launches.
Some of the most notable events this September include:
- 3 September. Irene Solà participates in the Festivaletteratura of Mantua (Italy).
- 5 September. Enric Casasses takes part in Cabudanne de sos poetes in Sardinia (Italy).
- 5 & 6 September. Mar García Puig speaks at two sessions at the Hay Festival of Querétaro (Mexico), first with Ester Bautista Botella and later with Marian Matija i Felipe Rosete.
- 8–13 September. Focus on Catalan literature at the 40th Vilenica International Literary Festival (Slovenia), featuring Tina Vallés, Francesc Serés, Maria Josep Escrivà, and translators Simona Škrabec and Veronika Rot.
- 20 September. Luisa Vera represents Catalan illustration at the Istanbul International Children's Literature Festival.
- 25 September. Pol Guasch participates in the FILBA International Literary Festival in Buenos Aires.
Beyond the direct participation of Catalan authors in international literary events, several translation launches are scheduled: Un sopar de por by Meritxell Martí and Xavier Salomó will be presented in English in New York on 18 September. On 27 September, Mamà desobedient by Esther Vivas will be presented in Athens. Finally, between late September and early October, a UK tour will showcase the English translation of Matar el nervi by Anna Pazos, with events in London, Oxford, Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Newcastle.
As part of the strategic residency programme of the Institut Ramon Llull: Mònica Batet has been selected for the Château de Lavigny Writing Residency (Switzerland); Marina Saez and Marta Carnicero will undertake residencies at Art Omi (NY, United States); Marta Pera and Andrea Genovart will participate at the Literarisches Colloquium Berlin (Germany).
Additionally, Llull’s grants have also facilitated the participation of Pol Guasch in The Hello World Literary Residency (Viborg, Denmark) and Roger Pibernat Trias in the Schmiede Hallein International Illustration Residency (Austria).
Diversity of genres and formats: Catalan literature on the international stage in the first half of 2025
Furthermore, during the first half of 2025, the Institut Ramon Llull’s programme of grants for literary promotion and author mobility has enabled the participation of Catalan authors in a host of outstanding international events.
In fiction, Eva Baltasar attended the Festival du Livre de Paris in April; in May, Miquel de Palol, Joan-Lluís Lluís and Eva Baltasar participated in the 40th edition of the Comédie du Livre Festival in Montpellier; also in May, Irene Solà took part in the Festival International de Littérature de Lyon; in June she embarked on a promotional tour of the UK and US to present the English translation of Et vaig donar ulls i vas mirar les tenebres.
In non-fiction, Txell Feixas attended the Hay Festival of Cartagena (Colombia) in January; Carles Torner, Daniel Cassany and Anna Llenas were present at the Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires in May. Also in May, Adrià Pujol presented Picadura de Barcelona in Berlin; in June, Maria Nicolau launched the French translation of Cuina o Barbàrie in Paris.
In the field of illustration, Catalan representation shone at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, with Anna Font, Roger Olmos, Mercè Galí, Pato Mena and Rocio Bonilla in attendance. Roger Olmos also participated in the Turin International Book Fair, while Rocio Bonilla took part in the Lisbon Book Fair.
In comics, Marta Cunill, Anapurna and Albert Monteys attended the Angoulême International Comics Festival; in May, Sebas Martín was at the Stockholm International Comics Festival and Marc Torices al Montreal Comic Arts Festival. Marc Torices also joined the Festival Lyon BD in June, alongside Marcello Quintanilha.
Poetry has likewise had a significant international presence. Anna Gual articipated in March at the Festival Expoésie de Périgueux-Périgord; Jordi Valls attended the Los Confines International Poetry Festival in Honduras in May; Mireia Calafell and Míriam Cano were featured at the 19th Festival of European Poetry in Belgrade in August; Enric Casasses returned to Sardinia for Cabudanne de sos poetas de Sardenya.
In total, to date, 42 authors have taken part in around fifty literary events across twenty countries, all with the support of the Institut Ramon Llull.
