Joan Oliver i Sallarès (), also known by his pseudonym ''Pere Quart'', (1899 in

Sabadell Sabadell () is a city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the ''comarca'' of Vallès Occidental, where it is one of the two capitals, the other being Terrassa. It is located on the River Ripoll, north of Barcelona, a ...

– 1986 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

) was a Catalan poet, playwright, literary manager, translator, narrator, and journalist. He is considered one of the most important twentieth-century writers of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Biography

Towards the political commitment

He was born in 1899, the member of an outstanding family of the industrial bourgeoisie of Sabadell. He was the fourth of eleven brothers; he was the only survivor. He took the pseudonym with which he would sign his poetic work: Pere Quart. He studied law. In year 1919, he formed the Group of Sabadell with the novelist Francesc Trabal and the poet Armand Obiols. In this group the influence of vanguardism was combined with local humor.

The Civil War and the exile

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he engaged politically with the republican side. He was nominated president of the Association of Catalan Writers and leader of

Generalitat Generalitat (, literally in English 'Generality') is the name of two major medieval and early modern political institutions and their modern-day analogues in Kingdom of Spain. The ancient Principality of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Valencia we ...

's Ministry of Culture publications. Moreover, he was co-founder and headleader of Institution of the Catalan Letters publications, and author of the Catalan popular army hymn's letter. All this means a definite break with his bourgeois past and the birth of a strong political, ethical and social commitment. In this context he created "Ode to Barcelona" (of clear nationalistic and revolutionary trend) and the play "The Hunger" (''La Fam'', where the problems of the revolution are brought up). At the end of the war, the Republican Generalitat will order him the task of evacuating all the intellectuals. Finished the war will exile first in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, embark towards

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

and establish definitively in

Santiago of Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...

, where he will live for eight years. During the exile, he continued his task of intellectual compromised with his time and his country. He collaborated with "Catalonia" (edited in Buenos Aires) and directed "Germanor" (Brothehood) (edited in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

). He set up the collection "The pine of the three branches" along Xavier Benguerel.

Resistance and transition

In 1948 Joan Oliver came back to Barcelona, where

Franco's regime Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of History of Spain, Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . ...

was characterized by authoritarianism and repression. He was imprisoned for three months in the Model prison of Barcelona. Three years later he received the ''Prize of the French Republic President'' in the floral games of Paris, for the translation into Catalan of ''

The Misanthrope ''The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover'' (; ) is a 17th-century comedy of manners in verse written by Molière. It was first performed on 4 June 1666 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré), Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris by ...

'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

. He translated and adapted works of several authors - for example

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

. In 1960 his more emblematic work appeared: Vacances Pagades (Paid Holidays). It is a skeptical work, sarcastic too, where a great appointment with the social and political reality of the country is shown. Oliver makes an acid crictisim to the capitalism, the consumer society and the Franco dictatorship. With the death of the dictator and democracy entry, he was especially displeased with the dominant politicians, denouncing the betrayal that meant the transition. In year 1982 he rejected the ''

Creu de Sant Jordi The Creu de Sant Jordi (, in English language, English 'St George's Cross') is one of the highest civil distinctions awarded in Catalonia (Spain), surpassed only in protocol by the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Gold Medal of the G ...

'' award. He became an uncomfortable character for the politicians, who was necessary to corner. Nothing of all this, however, prevented him from being considered one of the five best Catalan poets of the 20th century. In 1986 he died in

and was buried in his natal city, Sabadell.

Works

Creator of a very diverse work, his poetry is influenced by

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

, with a skeptical tone, and influenced by the effects of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and the subsequent family's exile. His narrative style is clearly marked by the

irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...

against all the established conventions.

Plays

As a playwright, Oliver helped to make cracks on the Franco's regime to recover the Catalan theater. His most outstanding works in this area were ''Primera representació'' irst representationand ''Ball robat'' tolen Ball and ''D'una drecera'' shortcutwas his attempt to approach to public. * ''Gairebé un acte o Joan, Joana i Joanet'', 1929 lmost an Act: or, Joan, Joana, and Joanet* ''Una mena d'orgull'', 1931 Kind of Pride* ''Cataclisme'' ataclismus 1935 Barcelona. El Nostre Teatre, 1935 / Barcelona: Randez, 1935. * ''El 30 d'abril'' pril 30 1935 * '' Allò que tal vegada s'esdevingué'' hat Perhaps Has Happened Barcelona: La Rosa dels Vents, 1936 / Barcelona: Aymà, 1970 / Barcelona: Edicions 62, 1987 / Terrassa: Centre d'Art Dramàtic del Vallès, 1996 / Barcelona: Educaula, 2010. * ''Cambrera nova'' ew Waitress 1937 * ''

La fam LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

unger Unger is a surname literally meaning "Hungarian". It may refer to: * (1898–1989), German writer, playwright and translator, brother of Wilhelm * Andrew Unger (born 1979), Canadian writer * Anna Unger, East German cross country skier * Annette ...

Barcelona: Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, 1938 / Barcelona: Aymà, 1975 / Barcelona: Proa, 2003. released in Barcelona's Teatre Poliorama) * ''L'amor deixa el camí ral'' ove Leaves the Highroad 1947 * ''Quasi un paradís'' lmost a Paradise 1951 * ''La barca d'Amílcar'' mílcar's Boat 1958 * ''

Ball robat A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but sometimes ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used for simp ...

'' tolen Dance 1958 * ''Primera representació'' irst Representation 1959 * ''Tercet en Re'' erzetto in D El Pont, núm. 13, 1959. * ''Tres comèdies'' hree Comedies Barcelona: Selecta, 1960. * ''Noè al port d'Hamburg'' oé in Hamburg's Harbour 1966. * ''Quatre comèdies en un acte'' our Comedies in One Act Barcelona: Aymà, 1970. * ''Vivalda i l'Àfrica tenebrosa i Cambrera nova'' ivalda, Dark Africa, and New Waitress 1970. * ''El roig i el blau'' he Red and the Blue 1985. * ''Trenta d'abril'' pril Thirtieth 1987. * ''Ball robat de Joan Oliver (i altres)'' tolen Dance by Joan Oliver (and others) Barcelona: Edicions 62 / La Caixa, 1995. * ''Ball robat'' ntr. Helena Mesalles Barcelona: Proa, 1995 / ntr. Francesc Foguet i Boreu Barcelona: Proa, 2005. * ''Ball robat seguit d'Escena d'alcova'' ur. Lluís Busquets i Garabulosa Barcelona: La Magrana, 1996. * ''Això guixa'', 1999. * ''Ària del Diumenge'', 1999.

Poetry

* ''Les decapitacions'' eheadings Sabadell: Contraban, 1934 / Barcelona: Proa, 1978 / Madrid: Bruño, 1993. * '' Oda a Barcelona'' de to Barcelona Barcelona: Comissariat de Propaganda, 1936. * ''Bestiari'' estiary Barcelona: Departament de Cultura, 1937 / Barcelona: Proa, 1969 (4a ed.) / Barcelona: Edicions 62, 1989. * ''Saló de tardor'' utum's exhibition Santiago de Chile: El Pi de les Tres Branques, 1947 / Barcelona: Proa, 1983. * ''Poesia de Pere Quart'' ere Quart's poetry Barcelona: Aymà, 1949. * ''Terra de naufragis'' and of shipwrecks Barcelona: Proa, 1956. * ''

Vacances pagades ''Holiday'' (French: ''Vacances'') is a 1931 French comedy film directed by Robert Boudrioz and starring Florelle, Lucien Gallas and Georges Charlia. It is an adaptation of the French play of the same name by René Besson and Georges Fabret. Th ...

'' aid holidays València: Diputació de València, 1961 / Barcelona: Proa, 1972. * ''Dotze aiguaforts i un autoretrat de Josep Granyer'' welve etchings and a portrait of Joseph Granyer Barcelona: Monografies de la Rosa Vera, 1962. * ''Obra de Pere Quart'' ere Quart's work Barcelona: Fontanella, 1963. * ''Circumstàncies'' ircumstances Barcelona: Proa, 1968. * ''Quatre mil mots'' our thousand words Barcelona: Proa, 1977. * ''Poesia empírica''. Barcelona: Proa, 1981. * ''Poemes escollits''. Barcelona: Edicions 62 / La Caixa, 1983. * ''Refugi de versos'' mpirical poetry Barcelona: Proa, 1987. * ''Antologia'' nthology Barcelona: Proa, 1982 / Barcelona: Barcanova, 1993 / Barcelona: Diputació de Barcelona, 1996. * ''Els millors poemes'' he best poems Barcelona: Columna, 1998 * ''Pingüí'' enguin(poesia infantil i juvenil). Barcelona: Cruïlla, 2004.

Short stories

* ''Una tragèdia a Lil·liput'' tragedy in Lilliput Sabadell: Fundació La Mirada, 1928. * ''Contraban'' muggling Barcelona: La Rosa dels Vents, 1937. * ''Biografia de Lot i altres proses'' ot's biography and other stories Barcelona: Fontanella, 1963 / Barcelona: La Magrana, 1983. * ''Dos textos'' wo texts Barcelona: Cafè Central, 1999. * ''Tres contes'' hree tells Sabadell: Fundació La Mirada, 2002.

Translations

* '' Pigmalió'', original by

Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

* '' Tot esperant Godot''. Original by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

* '' El criat de dos amos''. Original by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

* '' L'òpera de tres rals''. Original by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

* '' Un barret de palla d'Itàlia''. Original by

Eugène Labiche Eugène Marin Labiche (; 6 May 181522 January 1888) was a French dramatist. He remains famous for his contribution to the vaudeville genre and his passionate and domestic pochades. In the 1860s, he reached his peak with a series of successe ...

* '' Anònim venecià''. Original by

Giuseppe Berto Giuseppe Berto (27 December 1914 – 1 November 1978) was an Italian writer and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his novels ''The Sky Is Red'' (''Il cielo è rosso'') and ''Incubus'' (''Il male oscuro''). He was a prisoner at Camp Her ...

* '' Ubú, rei''. Original by

Alfred Jarry Alfred Jarry (; ; 8 September 1873 – 1 November 1907) was a French Artistic symbol, symbolist writer who is best known for his play ''Ubu Roi'' (1896)'','' often cited as a forerunner of the Dada, Surrealism, Surrealist, and Futurism, Futurist ...

* '' El misantrop''. Original by

* '' El tartuf''. Original by Molière * '' El banyut imaginari''. Original by Molière * '' L'hort dels cirerers''. Original by

Literary criticism and essays

* ''El mestre Fabra'' aster Fabra recordat. Barcelona: .n. 1969. * ''Francesc Trabal'', recordat. Sabadell: Fundació La Mirada, 1999. * ''Notícia biogràfica d'Armand Obiols'' rmand Obiols biographical review Sabadell: Fundació La Mirada, 1999. * ''Pròlegs'' rologues

Discography

* ''L'oriol'' ( Remei Margarit). Barcelona: Edigsa, 1963. * ''Romanço del fill de vídua'' ( Els tres tambors). Belter, 1966. * ''La croada'' (

Núria Espert Núria Espert Romero (born 11 June 1935 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain) is a Spanish theatre and television actor, and theatre and opera director. When she was 19 years old, she married the actor :es:Armando Moreno, Armando M ...

). Dins: Poetes Catalans contemporanis. Madrid: Discos Aguilar GDE 10-112, 1966. * ''El burgès'' (

Francesc Pi de la Serra Francesc () is a masculine given name of Catalan origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francesco, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: * Cesc Fàbregas (Francesc Fàbregas i Soler) (born 1987), Spanish professional footbal ...

). Barcelona: Edigsa, 1967. * ''Oda a Barcelona'' (

). Barcelona: Edigsa, 1967. * ''Poesia de Pere Quart: dotze poemes dits per l'autor''. Barcelona: Edigsa, 1968. * ''Cançó lirona / Vaca suïssa'' (

Tricicle Tricicle () is a physical-comedy group composed of three actors: Joan Gràcia, Francesc (Paco) Mir, and Carles Sans. They founded the company in 1979 to perform brief sketches in streets and alternative venues. At that time, the three members ...

). Concèntric, 1970. * ''Bestiari'' ( La Trinca). Barcelona: Edigsa, 1972. * ''Una vaca amb un vedellet en braços'' (

Raimon Ramon Pelegero Sanchis, who takes the stage name of Raimon (), is a Spanish singer. He performs in the musical style of Nova Cançó, and in the Catalan language. Biography Youth Raimon was born in Xàtiva in the province of Valencia, Spain o ...

). Dins: T'adones, amic?. París: Le Chant du Monde CDX 74523, 1974. * '' Corrandes d'exili'' (

Ovidi Montllor Ovidi Montllor (; 4 February 1942 in Alcoi, Spain – 10 March 1995 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Valencian singer-songwriter and actor. Career A native of Alcoi, at the age of 24 Montllor moved to Barcelona, where he was a member of various indepe ...

). Dins: A Alcoi, 1974. * ''Decapitació XII'' (

Ramon Muntaner Ramon Muntaner () (1265 – 1336) was a Catalan mercenary and writer who wrote the '' Crònica'', a chronicle of his life, including his adventures as a commander in the Catalan Company. He was born at Peralada. Biography The Catalan Com ...

). Dins: Cròniques, 1977. * ''Un ase considera el globus terraqüi'' ( Celdoni Fonoll). Dins: He heretat l'esperança, 1978. * ''Assaig de plagi a la taverna'' ( Celdoni Fonoll). Dins: Traginer de cançons, 1981. * ''Diversos poemes'' ( Celdoni Fonoll). Dins: Recital 1000, 1984. * ''Infants'' (

Joan Manuel Serrat Joan Manuel Serrat Teresa (; born 27 December 1943) is a Spanish musician, singer, and composer. He is considered one of the most important figures of modern, popular music in both Spanish and Catalan languages. Serrat's lyrical style has b ...

). Dins: Fa 20 anys que tinc 20 anys, 1984. * ''Corrandes d'exili'' (

Lluís Llach Lluís Llach i Grande (; born 7 May 1948) is a Spanish Catalan singer-songwriter, novelist and politician. He is one of the main representatives of the '' nova cançó'' genre and an outspoken advocate of the right to self-determination of Cat ...

). Dins: T'estimo. Barcelona: Ariola, 1984. * ''Utopia'' (

Miquel Pujadó Miquel may refer to: * the Catalan form of the given name Michael (given name), Michael * Beate von Miquel (born 1968), German academic and women's rights advocate * Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel (1811–1871), a Dutch botanist * Gérard Miquel (bo ...

). Dins: Ambaixador d'enllà, 1990. * ''Joan Oliver recita Pere Quart''. Barcelona: Audiovisuals de Sarrià, D-133.

Complete works

* ''Obres completes de Joan Oliver. Obra poètica'' omplete works by Joan Oliver. Poetry's worksBarcelona: Proa, vol. I, 1975. (2a ed. 1999) * ''Obres completes de Joan Oliver. Teatre original'' omplete works by Joan Oliver. Original plays Barcelona: Proa, vol. II, 1977. (2a ed. 1999) * ''Obres completes. Versions de teatre'' omplete works by Joan Oliver. Plays versions Barcelona: Proa, vol. III, 1989. * ''Obres completes de Joan Oliver''. Narrative works. Barcelona: Proa, vol. IV, 1999.

References

External links

Joan Oliver (Pere Quart)
at the Association of Catalan Language Writers. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver I Sallares, Joan Writers from Catalonia Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes winners Dramatists and playwrights from Catalonia Catalan-language poets 1899 births 1986 deaths Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in Chile