Simona Škrabec (

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

, 1968) is a Slovene

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

who lives and works in

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 ...

. She spent her childhood in the small town of Ribnica in the region of

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region. Geography Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the n ...

. She has lived in

since 1992. Skrabec has translated several books from Slovenian to Catalan and from Catalan to Slovenian. In addition to these two languages, she is fluent in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and French.

Life and career

Simona Škrabec was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. She has lived in Barcelona since 1992. At the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

, she received a BA in German philology and

comparative literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

. In 2002, she obtained a PhD in comparative literature at the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; , es, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona; UAB), is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. ...

(UAB). She is a professor at

Open University of Catalonia The Open University of Catalonia ( ca, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, UOC; ) is a private open university based in Barcelona, Spain. The UOC offers graduate and postgraduate programs in Catalan, Spanish and English in fields such as Psycholog ...

(UOC) in Barcelona. Her main interests are the European literature of 20th century and the relation of literature with the construction of historic memory and identity. In 2014, she was elected chair of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internatio ...

's Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee. She is the author of the books ''L'estirp de la solitud'' (Lineage of Solitude, 2003), ''L'atzar de la lluita'' (Of Chance and Struggle, 2005) and ''Una Pàtria prestada'' (Borrowed Homeland, 2017). With Arnau Pons she directed an extensive project about cultural exchange between Germany and Catalonia in the 20th century (''Grenzen sind Straßen'', 2007–2008, 2 vols.). She has translated more than thirty books; among the most notable are translations of several books of Serbian and Slovenian authors into Catalan and Spanish (Kiš, Jančar, Pahor, and Šalamun), as well the translation of most important Catalan authors (Moncada, Cabré, Ferrater, Marçal, etc.) into Slovenian. In translation she also participated in the joint study To Be Translated or Not to Be (2007, directed by Esther Allen) about the situation of literary translation in the globalized world and in the volume ''Constel·lacions variables'' (Variable constellations, 2012, with Teresa Irribaren) about the impact of digital media in internationalization of literature. In 2016 she directed the

report ''Culture's Oxygen'' about the publishing industry in minority languages, commissioned by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. She contributes essays and articles about literature in academic and cultural journals and is also a regular literary critic with various Barcelona based newspapers. She has been a member of the editorial board at the humanities journal ''L'Espill'' of the

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

since 2007. She has also acted as organizer of several cultural events and symposiums, as a result of which she edited the books ''Diàlegs sense fronteres'' (Dialogues without Borders, 2011), about foreign authors established in Barcelona and writing in Catalan, and ''Les distàncies d’Europa'' (The Distances in Europe, 2013), an interdisciplinary quest about Europe's future.

Publications

PhD in comparative literature

*
Geografia imaginària. Els marcs identitaris en el cas de Centreeuropa
'(2002). Published 2004 by Afers, Valencia.

Authored books

*''Torno del bosc amb les mans tenyides.'' Barcelona: L'Avenç (2019) *
Una patria prestada. Lectures de fragilitat en la literatura catalana
'' València: Publicacions de la

Universitat de València The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public university, public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Spain. It is one of the List of oldest universities in ...

(2017)
''L’atzar de la lluita''. ''El concepte d’Europa Central al segle XX''
Catarroja; Barcelona; Palma: Afers (2005) *
Estirp de la solitud.
' Barcelona:

Institut d'Estudis Catalans The Institute for Catalan Studies ( ca, Institut d'Estudis Catalans, ), also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture". It is based in Barcelona, Catalon ...

(2002). Institut_d’Estudis_Catalans,_2001.html" ;"title="Institut d'Estudis Catalans">Institut d’Estudis Catalans, 2001">Institut d'Estudis Catalans">Institut d’Estudis Catalans, 2001

Research reports

*
Culture’s Oxygen. Developing the Minority-language creative writing industry in Kenya, Haiti, Serbia and Nigeria. An inter-regional research, advocacy and development programme.
' London: PEN International; UNESCO (2016) *
To be translated or not to be
'' collective volume directed by Esther Allen. Barcelona:

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...

and Institut Ramon Llull (2007) *
La literatura catalana i la traducció en un món globalitzat (Catalan Literature and Translation in a Globalized World)
with'' Carme Arenas. Translated by per Sarah Yandell. Barcelona: Institució de les Lletres Catalanes; Institut Ramon Llull (2006)

Coordinator of collective volumes

*
Carrers de frontera
', ''Passatges de la cultura alemanya a la cultura catalana,'' Volume II, curated with Arnau Pons. Barcelona: GenCat, Institut Ramon Llull (2008) *
Carrers de frontera
Passatges de la cultura alemanya a la cultura catalana'', Volume I, curated with Arnau Pons. Barcelona: GenCat, Institut Ramon Llull (2007)

Translations (selection)

Catalan translations

* Ernest Cassirer;

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centur ...

. «La controvèrsia de Davos». ''L’Espill,'' 54-55, p. 191-210. (2017) *

Tomaž Šalamun Tomaž Šalamun (July 4, 1941 – December 27, 2014) was a Slovenian poet who was a leading figure of postwar neo-avant-garde poetry in Central EuropeColm Tóibín (2004The comet's trail Guardian and an internationally acclaimed absurdist. Martín ...

.
Balada per a la Metka Krašovec
' alada za Metko Krašovec, 1981 Barcelona: LaBreu. (2016) *

Danilo Kiš Danilo Kiš (; born Dániel Kiss; 22 February 1935 – 15 October 1989) was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, essayist and translator. His best known works include ''Hourglass'', ''A Tomb for Boris Davidovich'' and '' The Encyclopedia of ...

. ''Una tomba per a Boris Davidovič'' 'Grobnica Borisa Davidoviča'', 1976 Manresa: Angle (2016) *

Achille Mbembe Joseph-Achille Mbembe, known as Achille Mbembe (; born 1957), is a Cameroonian historian, political theorist, and public intellectual who is a research professor in history and politics at the Wits Institute for Social and Economy Research at the ...

. «Necropolítica». ''L’Espill,'' 53, p. 5-36. (2016) * Snježana Kodrić. «El serbocroat avui, entre aspiracions polítiques I fets lingüístics». ''L’Espill'', 49, p. 35-45. (2015) * Brane Mozetič. ''El país de les bombes, el país dels prats'' 'Dežela bomb, dežela trav'', 2013 Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra. (2014) *

Drago Jančar Drago Jančar (born 13 April 1948) is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most well-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement. Jančar's n ...

. ''Aurora boreal''. Barcelona: Edicions 1984. (2014) *

Franco Moretti Franco Moretti (born 1950 in Sondrio) is an Italian literary historian and theorist. He graduated in Modern Literatures from the University of Rome in 1972. He has taught at the universities of Salerno (1979–1983) and Verona (1983–1990); in th ...

«Sobre l’evolució literària»
''L'Espill,'' 43, p. 151-167. (2013) * Aleš Debeljak. «La república de les lletres». ''L’Espill,'' 41, p. 113-115. (2012) *

Fredric Jameson Fredric Jameson (born April 14, 1934) is an American literary critic, philosopher and Marxist political theorist. He is best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends, particularly his analysis of postmodernity and capitalism. James ...

«La literatura del Tercer Món»
''L’Espill'', 35, p. 27-50. (2010) * Brane Mozetič. ''Banalitats'' 'Banalije'', 2003''; Še banalije'', 2005, selecció Vic: Cafè Central; Eumo (Jardins de Samarcanda, 54). (2009) * Aleš Debeljak. ''La neu de l’any passat'' 'Somrak idolov'', ''Lanski sneg, Evropa brez Evropejcev'', selectionPalma: Lleonard Muntaner (Traus, 4). (2007) * Svetlana Makarovič. ''El forn d’en Musaranya'' 'Pekarna Mišmaš'', 1974 Illustrators by Mercè Arànega. Barcelona: Barcanova. (2006) *

. ''Katarina, el paó i el jesuïta'' 'Katarina, pav in jezuit'', 2000 Lleida: Pagès Editors. (2005) *

Boris Pahor Boris Pahor, OMRI (; 26 August 1913 – 30 May 2022) was a Slovene novelist from Trieste, Italy, who was best known for his heartfelt descriptions of life as a member of the Slovenian minority in pre–Second World War increasingly fascist It ...

. ''Necròpolis'' 'Nekropola'', 1997 Lleida: Pagès Editors. (2004) * Svetlana Makarovič; Brane Mozetič. ''He somniat que havies mort.'' Barcelona: ILC i Emboscall ith Vicent Alonso, Staša Briški, Aurora Calvet, Jaume Creus, Feliu Formosa, Txema Martínez, Melcion Mateu, Francesc Parcerisas, Tanja Pavlica and Iolanda Pelegrí (2004) *

. ''Una tomba per a Boris Davidovič'' 'Grobnica Borisa Davidoviča'', 1976 Manresa: Angle. (2003) *

. ''La mirada de l'àngel'' 'Pogled angela'', 1992; “Smrt pri Mariji Snežni” Manresa: Angle. (2003)

Spanish translations

Goran Vojnović Goran Vojnović (born 11 June 1980) is a Slovenian writer, poet, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his 2008 novel ''Southern Scum Go Home'' ( sl, Čefurji raus!) which won him numerous awards as well as a lawsuit filed by the ...

.
Yugoslavia, mi tierra
' ugoslavija, moja dežela, 2012 Barcelona: Asteroide. (2017) *

Daša Drndić Daša Drndić (10 August 1946 – 5 June 2018) was a Croatian writer. She studied English language and literature at the University of Belgrade.'Sonnenschein'', 2007 Madrid: Automática. (2015) *

.
Zumbidos en la cabeza
' 'Zvenenje v glavi'', 1998 Madrid: Sexto Piso. (2015) * Brane Mozetič. ''El país de les bombas, el país de los prados''. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra. (2014) * Svetlana Makarovič. ''La tia Magda'' eta Magda, 1999 Barcelona: Alfaguara. (2005)

Slovenian translations

Maria Barbal Maria Barbal i Farré ( Tremp, Pallars Jussà, 17 September 1949) is a Spanish writer. Career Even though she has lived in Barcelona from the 1960s onward, the literary world of her early work as an author concentrates on the Pallars county o ...

. ''Intimna dežela'' 'País íntim'', 2005 Ljubljana: Študentska Založba. (2016) * Manuel Molins. ''Abu Magrib'' 'Abu Magrib'', 2002 ''Sodobna drama v Španiji.'' Maribor: Litera, 99-216. (2014) * Blai Bonet. ''Morje'' 'El mar'', 1958 Ljubljana: Center za slovensko književnost. (2014) * Josep Maria Benet i Jornet . ''Želja'' 'Desig'', 1991 ''Sodobna drama v Španiji''. Maribor: Litera, 27-98. (2014) * Llorenç Villalonga. ''Bearn ali sobana porcelanastih lutk'' 'Bearn o la sala de nines'', 1956 Ljubljana: Študentska Založba (Beletrina, 329). (2012) * Maria-Mercè Marçal. ''Pasijon po Renée Vivien'' 'La passió de Renée Vivien'', 1994 Ljubljana: Škuc (Lambda; 91). (2011) *

Maria Mercè Marçal Maria Mercè Marçal i Serra (13 November 1952 – 5 July 1998) was a Catalan poet, professor, writer and translator from Spain. Biography Marçal was born in Barcelona but spent her childhood in Ivars d'Urgell (Pla d'Urgell), which she consi ...

. ''Staljeni led'' 'Desglaç'', 1988 Ljubljana: Škuc, (Lambda, 78). (2009) *

. ''Kamen v melišču'' 'Pedra de tartera'', 1985 Ljubljana: Študentska Založba (Beletrina, 210). (2008) *

Gabriel Ferrater Gabriel Ferrater i Soler (; 20 May 1922 – 27 April 1972) was an author, translator and scholar of linguistics of the sixties who wrote in the Catalan language. His poetical work is one of the most important among the authors of post-war Catalo ...

. ''Ženske in dnevi'' 'Les dones i els dies'', selecció, 1968Ljubljana: Center za slovensko književnost, (Aleph, 116). (2007) *

Jaume Cabré Jaume Cabré i Fabré (; born 1947) is a Catalan philologist, novelist and screenwriter. He was one of the founders of the Catalan literary collective, '' Ofèlia Dracs''. He was born in Terrassa. He graduated in Catalan Philology from the Univ ...

. ''Evnuhova senca'' 'L’ombra de l’eunuc'', 1996 Ljubljana: Študenska Založba (Beletrina, 149). (2006) * Lluís Maria Todó. ''Igra izmišljevanja''

'El joc del mentider'', 1994 (also Il, uga, 𐎛𐎍 ''ʾīlu''; phn, 𐤀𐤋 ''ʾīl''; he, אֵל ''ʾēl''; syr, ܐܺܝܠ ''ʾīyl''; ar, إيل or ; cognate to akk, 𒀭, ilu) is a Northwest Semitic word meaning "god" or " deity", or referring (as a prope ...

Ljubljana: Center za slovensko književnost (Aleph, 41). (2005) * Jesús Moncada. ''Proti toku'' 'Camí de'' sirga, 1988 Ljubljana: Študentska Založba (Beletrina, 110). (2004) * J.V. Foix. ''Dnevnik iz leta 1918'' 'Darrer comunicat'', 1970; ''Tocant a mà'', 1972 Ljubljana: Center za slovensko književnost (Aleph, 84). (2003) *

Pere Calders Pere Calders i Rossinyol (; 29 September 1912 – 21 July 1994) was a Catalan people, Catalan writer and cartoonist. Biography He became known at the beginning of the 1930s for his drawings, articles and stories which were published in newspa ...

. ''Kronike prikrite resnice'' 'Cròniques de la veritat oculta'', 1955 Ljubljana: Center za slovensko književnost (Aleph, 71). (2002)

Communications and presentations (selection)

#ProtectLinguists
event at the UN Headquarters in New York. ith Linda Fitchett, H.E. Ambassador, Ms. María Bassols, Bill Miller, Dr. Maya Hess, Betsy Fisher, Lucio Bagnulo and Maître Caroline Decroix (New York, 2019)
Debat_sobre_[la
cultura_catalana..html" ;"title="a">Debat sobre [la
cultura catalana.">a">Debat sobre [la
cultura catalana.[with Maria Bohigas, Najat El Hachmi, Àngels Margarit and Mercè Picornell]. Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB). (Barcelona, 2019) *
La traducción literaria como oxigeno para la cultura
'. ("The literary translation as highly for the culture"). Inaugural Conference of the degree in translation andapplied languages UOC/UVic-UCC, of the master of digital editing and master's degree intranslation.

(UOC), Sala Josep Laporta (Barcelona, 2017) *
Gravar el nom a l’escorça d’un arbre
' ("Record the name in the bark of a tree"). Inaugural Conference of the academic year.

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University ( ca, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, UPF, ; es, link=no, Universidad Pompeu Fabra) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. The university was created by the Autonomous Government of Catalo ...

. Faculty of translation and interpreting, communication Campus Auditorium Poblenou (Barcelona, 2015) *
Importem cultura, exportem cultura
(''"We import culture, we export culture").

ith Francesc Parcerisas and Joaquim Gestí The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

XXII Seminar on Translation in Catalonia "Translators, pioneers of the culture".

Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana The Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana (, "Association of Writers in the Catalan Language", or "Association of Catalan-Language Writers"), also known by the acronym AELC, is a professional organisation of authors, poets, scriptwriters, tra ...

(AELC),

Institució de les Lletres Catalanes Institució de les Lletres Catalanes (Institute of Catalan Letters) is a Spanish organization based in Barcelona. An entity of the Government of Catalonia, it was founded in 1937 by intellectuals who were loyal to the Republic during the Spanish C ...

(ILC), CCCB. (Barcelona, 2014) *
El país i la ficció
' ("The country and fiction") ith Sergi Belbel, Laura Borràs, Francesc Serés and Albert Serra III Critical Reflections "Changes in paradigm: challenges and opportunities of the culture"''.'' Arts Santa Mònica,

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label=Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed b ...

, Departament de Cultura (Barcelona, 2011)

References

Short biographyAirbeletrinaPáginas de espuma - Simona ŠkrabecCCCB - Simona ŠkrabecPEN INTERNATIONAL, Being a translator , Simona ŠkrabecCV GETCC (UAB)

Academia.edu - Simona ŠkrabecDialnet - Simona ŠkrabecPEN Català: Simona Škrabec, Presidenta del Comitè de Traduccions i Drets Lingüístics del PEN Internacional
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skrabec, Simona Slovenian women writers Slovenian translators Writers from Ljubljana Writers from Barcelona Translators to Catalan Translators to Slovene Translators from Slovene Translators from Catalan 1968 births Living people People from Ribnica, Ribnica Autonomous University of Barcelona alumni Slovenian people of Serbian descent Slovenian emigrants to Spain University of Ljubljana alumni