Pere Calders i Rossinyol (; 29 September 1912 – 21 July 1994) was a
Catalan
Catalan may refer to:
Catalonia
From, or related to Catalonia:
* Catalan language, a Romance language
* Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia
Places
* 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and
cartoonist.
Biography
He became known at the beginning of the 1930s for his drawings, articles and stories which were published in newspapers and magazines. At twenty-four, he published his first books: the collection of stories ''El primer arlequí'' (The first harlequin), and the brief novel ''La glòria del doctor Larén'' (Doctor Laren's glory). Exiled in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
for twenty-three years,
along with his brother-in-law (the writer
Avel·lí Artís Gener "Tísner"), he composed his most critically well-received works, in particular the short stories ''Cròniques de la veritat oculta'' (Chronicles of the hidden truth, 1955) and ''Gent de l'alta vall'' (People of the high valley, 1957), and the novel ''Ronda naval sota la boira'' (Raval round under the fog, 1966). He returned to
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...
in 1962. Alongside publishing work and journalistic collaborations, he wrote ''L'ombra de l'atzavara'' (The shadow of the agave, 1964), with which he won the
Premi Sant Jordi de novel·la. With the arrival of democracy, he became popular as a result of the success of the theatrical assembly ''Antaviana'', created by the company
Dagoll Dagom, based on some of Pere's short stories. Since then, most of his books have been republished. He received the
Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes The Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes (Catalan Literary Lifetime Achievement Award) is an award instituted by Omnium Cultural since 1969 to recognize a person by their scientific or literary work, written in Catalan language, the importance of ...
(1986), and shortly before his death was awarded the ''National Prize from Journalism'' (1993).
He was a Member of the
Association of Catalan-language Writers.
[
]
Principal works
Editions in English
* ''Brush''; translated by Louise Lewis; pictures by Carme Solé Vendrell. London: Blackie, 1982.
* ''Brush''; translated by Marguerite Feitlowitz; pictures by Carme Solé Vendrell. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Kane/Miller, 1986.
* ''The virgin of the railway and other stories''; translated by Amanda Bath. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1991.
*"Subtle invasion" and "Catalans about the world" in ''Catalonia, a self-portrait''; edited and translated by Josep Miquel Sobrer. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992.
*"The desert", a short story in ''The Dedalus book of Spanish fantasy''; edited and translated by Margaret Jull Costa
Margaret Elisabeth Jull Costa OBE, OIH (born 2 May 1949) is a British translator of Portuguese- and Spanish-language fiction and poetry, including the works of Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, Paulo Coelho, B ...
and Annella McDermott. Sawtry: Dedalus; 1999.
Collected works
* ''El primer arlequí'' (''The First Harlequin'') (1936)
* '' Unitats de xoc'' (''Pieces of Conflict'') (1938)
* ''Memòries especials'' (''Special Memories'') (1942)
* '' Cròniques de la veritat oculta'' (''Chronicles of the Hidden Truth'') (1955)
* '' Gent de l'alta vall'' (''People of the High Valley '') (1957)
* '' Demà a les tres de la matinada'' (''Tomorrow at Three in the Morning'') (1959)
* '' Invasió subtil i altres contes'' (''Subtle Invasion and Other Stories'') (1978)
* '' Antaviana'' (''Antaviana'') (1979), with Dagoll Dagom
* ''Tot s'aprofita'' (1983)
* ''El sabeu, aquell?'' (1983)
* ''De teves a meves: trenta-dos contes que acaben més o menys bé'' (''From Yours to Mine: Thirty-Three Stories That End More or Less Well'') (1984)
* ''Els nens voladors'' (''The Flying Children'') (1984)
* ''Tres per cinc, quinze'' (''Three Times Five, Fifteen'') (1984)
* ''La cabra i altres narracions'' (''The Goat and Other Narratives'') (1984)
* ''El desordre públic'' (''Public Disorder'') (1984)
* '' Un estrany al jardí'' (''A Stranger in the Garden'') (1985)
* ''El barret fort i altres inèdits'' (''The Bowler Hat and Other Unpublished Works'') (1987)
* ''Raspall'' (''Brush'') (1987)
* ''Kalders i Tísner'', dibuixos de guerra a ''L'Esquella de la Torratxa
''L'Esquella de la Torratxa'' was an illustrated satirical weekly magazine, written in Catalan. Published in Barcelona between 1872 and 1939, it was well known for its pro-republican and anti-clerical stance and would become one of the most impo ...
'' (1991)
* '' L'honor a la deriva'' (''Honor Adrift'') (1992)
* ''Mesures, alarmes i prodigis'' (1994)
* ''La lluna a casa i altres contes'' (''The Moon at Home and Other Stories'') (1995)
* ''Cartes d'amor'' (''Love Letters'') (1996)
* ''Tots els contes'' (''All Stories'') (2008)
Novels
* ''La glòria del doctor Larén'' (''The Glory of Doctor Larén'') (1936)
* '' L'ombra de l'atzavara'' (''The Shade of the Agave Plant'') (1964)
* '' Ronda naval sota la boira'' (''Naval Patrol Through the Fog'') (1966)
* ''Aquí descansa Nevares'' (''Here Rests Nevares'') (1967)
* '' Gaeli i l'home Déu'' (1984)
* ''La ciutat cansada'' (''The Tired City'') (2008) (unfinished)
* ''Sense anar tant lluny'' (''Without Going Too Far'') (2009) (unfinished)
* ''La marxa cap al mar'' (''The Walk to Sea'') (2009) (unfinished)
* ''L'amor de Joan'' (''Juan's Love'') (2009) (unfinished)
References
External links
Pere Calders at the AELC
The Association of Catalan Language Writers.
Pere Calders in LletrA, Catalan Literature Online (Open University of Catalonia)
Pere Calders legacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calders, Pere
Novelists from Catalonia
Speculative fiction writers from Catalonia
Catalan-language writers
Short story writers from Catalonia
Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes winners
1912 births
1994 deaths
20th-century Spanish novelists
20th-century short story writers