Joan Perucho Gutiérrez (
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, 7 November 1920 – Barcelona, 28 October 2003) was a Spanish novelist, poet and art critic, an activity that alternated with his profession as a judge. His work, written in Catalan and Spanish mix with other traditional elements of avant-garde and science fiction that endow great originality. ''Natural Stories'' is his best known work.
He is one of the most prominent figures in fantasy literature on the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
, where he introduced
H.P. Lovecraft. His best-known book, ''Les històries naturals (1960)'', is a hilarious vampire story. Published in English as ''Natural History'' in 1992 and later translated into a handful of other languages, and was included by
Harold Bloom in ''
The Western Canon
''The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages'' is a 1994 book about Western literature by the American literary critic Harold Bloom, in which the author defends the concept of the Western canon by discussing 26 writers whom he sees as ce ...
''.
Beyond the literary work, Perucho created a fascinating character: erudite (but fond of mixing inventions with historical information), very ironic, passionate and exuberant. Judge by profession, he exercised his profession in small towns, to be able to work on books and articles. This took him from Barcelona to
La Granadella
La Granadella () is a Spanish town (''municipi'') in the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is situated in the county of Garrigues, in the province of Lleida.
Description
The municipality covers an area of 89 km² (34 sq mi) and the popu ...
,
Banyoles,
Móra d’Ebre,
Gandesa
Gandesa () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Terra Alta, in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.
History
In the place known as ''Coll del Moro'' there is an ancient Iberian archaeological site belonging to the Ilercavones tribe that l ...
and
Tortosa. He wrote about the landscapes of the south, about Mediterranean Catalonia and about the Spain of the Visigothic period and the
Cortes of Cádiz
The Cortes of Cádiz was a revival of the traditional ''Cortes Generales, cortes'' (Spanish parliament), which as an institution had not functioned for many years, but it met as a single body, rather than divided into estates as with previous o ...
. Perucho's work is an invitation to pleasure, fun and reading.
As for his poetic work, written entirely in Catalan, Perucho approached symbolist poetry, which he mixed with surrealist influences.
Awards
In recognition of his work, Joan Perucho was awarded the
Creu de Sant Jordi (1991), the Premi Nacional de Cultura (1995), the Rosalía de Castro Award (1996), the Medal of Artistic Merit of Barcelona City Council (2001), the
Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas
The Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas or National Prize for Spanish Literature is one of several National Prizes awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. First awarded in 1984, it recognises an author's literary career. The prize is 4 ...
(2002) and the National Prize of the Spanish Association of Fantasy and Science Fiction (2002).
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the
Rovira i Virgili University
University of Rovira i Virgili ( ca, Universitat Rovira i Virgili; , es, Universidad Rovira y Virgili; URV) is located in the Catalan cities of Tarragona and Reus, Spain. Its name is in honour of Antoni Rovira i Virgili.
The University of Ro ...
on 10 November 1995.
Works
; Narrative:
* 1953: ''Diana i la mar morta''
* 1956: ''Amb la tècnica de Lovecraft''
* 1957: ''
Llibre de cavalleries''
* 1960: ''Les històries naturals''
* 1963: ''Galería de espejos sin fondo''
* 1965: ''Roses, diables i somriures''
* 1968: ''Nicéforas y el grifo''
* 1968: ''Aparicions i fantasmes''
* 1969: ''Botànica oculta o el fals Paracels''
* 1972: ''Historias secretas de balnearios''
* 1974: ''Històries apòcrifes''
* 1975: ''Els balnearis''
* 1976: ''Monstruari fantàstic''
* 1981: ''Les aventures del cavaller Kosmas''
* 1981: ''Museu d'ombres''
* 1981: ''Petit museu de monstres marins''
* 1981: ''Gàbia per a petits animals feliços''. (
Quaderns Crema)
* 1982: ''Discurs de l'Aquitània i altres refinades perversitats''. (
Quaderns Crema)
* 1983: ''Incredulitats i devocions''
* 1983: ''Pamela''
* 1984: ''Les delicies de l'oci''
* 1984: ''Los laberintos bizantinos o un viaje con espectros''
* 1984: ''Un viatge amb espectres''. (
Quaderns Crema)
* 1985: ''Dietario apócrifo de Octavio de Romeu''
* 1986: ''La guerra de la Cotxinxina''
* 1986: ''Roses, diables i somriures''
* 1987: ''Minuta de mostruos''
* 1988: ''Los misterios de Barcelona''
* 1989: ''Els emperadors d'Abissínia''
* 1990: ''Detrás del espejo''
* 1990: ''El basilisc''
* 1990: ''Algú a la nit respira''
* 1990: ''Els fantasmes de la calaixera''
* 1994: ''El baró de Maldà i les bèsties de l'infern''
* 1995: ''Las sombras del mundo''
* 1996: ''Fabulaciones''
* 1997: ''Obres completes 1985–1997''
* 2001: ''Carmina o la gnosi angélica''
* 2001: ''Història d'un retrat''
* 2001: ''La darrera mirada''
; Poetry:
* 1947: ''Sota la sang''
* 1951: ''Aurora per vosaltres''
* 1953: ''El mèdium''
* 1956: ''El país de les meravelles''
* 1970: ''Antología poética''
* 1978: ''Poesia 1947–1973''
* 1982: ''Poesía 1947–1981'' (bilingüe)
* 1983: ''Quadern d'Albinyana''. (
Quaderns Crema)
* 1984: ''Obra poética completa''
* 1985: ''Itineraris d'Orient''
* 1986: ''Els miralls''
* 1987: ''La medusa''
* 1988: ''El duque de Portland sale a la calle''
* 1989: ''Cendres i diamants''
* 1993: ''Inscripcions, làpides, esteles''
* 1994: ''Els dies de la Sicília i la Germànica''
* 1995: ''Un silencio olvidado: poesía (1943–1947)''. (
Quaderns Crema)
* 1995: ''Versos d'una tardor''
* 1997: ''El far''
* 1998: ''La mirada d'Antinea''
* 2000: ''Els morts''
; Essay:
* 1968: ''Miró, les essències de la terra''
* 1985: ''Teoria de Catalunya''
* 1986: ''Una semàntica visual''
* 1990: ''Monstres i erudicions''
* 1991: ''Cultura i imatge''
* 1993: ''La gespa contra el cel, notes de viatge''
* 1994: ''Picasso, el cubisme i Horta de Sant Joan''
* 1998: ''Els secrets de Circe''
* 1998: ''Estética del gusto ''
* 1998: ''La meva visió del món'', 2 volums
* 1999: ''Gastronomia i cultura''
* 1999: ''La porta de la identitat''
References
Joan Perucho at LletrA, Catalan Literature Online (Open University of Catalonia)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perucho, Joan
1920 births
2003 deaths
Writers from Barcelona
Poets from Catalonia
20th-century judges