Núria Perpinyà Filella (; born 1961) is a Catalan novelist, a playwright and an essayist. Senior Lecturer in Theory and Comparative Literature at the university of

Lleida Lleida (, ; ; '' see below'') is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and largest town in Segrià county, the Ponent region and the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It ...

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 ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Her novels deal with unusual topics and are characterized by their intellectual irony, formal rigor and experimentalism. In her books, she defends the philosophy of

Perspectivism Perspectivism (also called perspectivalism) is the epistemological principle that perception of and knowledge of something are always bound to the interpretive perspectives of those observing it. While perspectivism regard all perspectives and ...

and reflects on the fact that the phenomena have multiple interpretations. Her creative work is written in Catalan, but most of the essays are published in Spanish or in English.

Biography

Núria Perpinyà Filella was born in Lleida, Spain, May 25, 1961 and lived in this town until she finished her degree in Catalan Studies in 1984. She moved to Cáceres, then to London, Madrid and Barcelona. Despite her changes of residence, she worked as a professor at the University of Lleida. First, she taught Catalan literature and then

literary theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, m ...

and

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

. In 1986, at the age of 25, she published her first book: an essay about a Catalan realist poet from the 1960s, Gabriel Ferrater, written in collaboration with Xavier Macià, under the title ''The poetry of Gabriel Ferrater''. This work won the Catalan Essay Prize Josep Vallverdú. In 1989, Perpinyà received the Extraordinary Prize for her PhD thesis from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

for research on Ferrater. She became one of his main specialists. In 1998, she published her first novel, '' A Good Mistake'', where was already shown "the complexity and the elaboration that will characterize the rest of her novels”. In A '' House to Compose'' (2001), Perpinyà developed a new genre halfway between a story and a novel. '' Mistana'' (2005), much more fantastic, was awarded a National Critics Prize. In '' The Privileged'' (2007), she opted, once more, for a renovation of literary genres with a dramatic novel. In the year 2010, she launched her first theatre play, '' The Calligraphers''. After her Alpinist novel '' To the vertigo'' (2013), Perpinya publishes ''And, suddenly, Paradise'' (2018), an experimental novel on the

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

Style

The work of Núria Perpinyà is a mixture of intellectual reflections and

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 ...

. Her style has been labelled as “a magmatic writing style”, and it has been characterized by “a control of the composition, a linguistic precision and originality of the actions”. In each of her books, Perpinyà has challenged herself with different experiments: ''A Good Mistake'' is a thriller based on readers’ false suppositions. In ''A House to compose'', she explored a new literary genre: a “fragmented novel” which, even though belonging to a Composite Novel or Short story cycle, it provided the novelty of a chain of stories that they turned over into chapters of a novel. This fusion of genres reappeared in ''The Privileged'' where the narrative and the dramatic style cohabited side by side. Regarding her subjects, Perpinyà has dedicated each book to a concrete topic. ''A Good Mistake'' is a love story in the world of science; ''A House to Compose'' recreates the world of music and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

; ''The Privileged'' is about art and museums; ''The Calligraphers'' is about the university; and ''Mistana'' deals with the madness. Her novel, ''To the Vertigo'', the most romantic and pictorial one, is another important twist in her trajectory. She substituted – at least apparently – her intellectual world for the sport. Her novel and her play on the Internet are an online collective writing experiment. These books are written as a

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

sentences.

Novels

The first book of fiction by Perpinyà, ''Un bon error'' (''A Good Mistake'') related the life of a young man who moved to laboratory in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and fell in love with a black scientist. The protagonist, Joan Xammar, must overcome two obstacles: the one of gender and the one of race. ''A House to Compose'' (2001), is a story about a

Pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

who was looking for a flat. In this novel about music, Perpinyà “dares to weave a multi-faceted plot”, and “while the protagonist passes through different kinds of housing – a garret, a duplex, an attic – (…) there is a kind of a musical whirlwind in her head”. The book had also an unusual structure: chained stories that ended up merging into a novel. The plot was the ''quête'' of the protagonist, Olivia Kesler, who was “a misanthrope of her art and a female

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

”. The novel is a crossword of genres and worlds: music, architecture and literature. ''A House to Compose'' is a harsh but comical critic to the architectonic dictatorship and suggested a romantic opposition between the artist and the society. The composer Olivia Kesler did not find her creative space in a society that was architectonically hostile to her. In the third novel by Perpinyà, ''Mistana'' (National Critics Prize 2005), the realism was abandoned and the author opted for a fantastic style. The book narrated a story about a meteorologist with mental disorders who fell into misfortune when he arrived at a phantasmal town called Mistana with an everlasting

fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

, inhabited by eccentric characters. An extreme climatology that evoked her home town, Lleida. The novel was “a tragedy about madness written in crescendo rhythm of delirious verses in prose” that has been labelled as “vertiginous and breathtaking” and as a “hypnotic and radical novel”. As Maria Dasca said, Mistana was “an unbridled fiction, tragic and comic at the same time” with a philosophical fog where “the things lose appearances and a man does not know who he is anymore”. In 2013 ''To the Vertigo'' appeared, a novel about love between mountaineers. The protagonists were obsessive idealists isolated from the society. The plot revolved around loves of a solitary mountain climber, Irena Besikova. The novel suggested two important discussions: the one of passion and

Feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. The epistolary style developed until it became an adventure novel that, in the last chapters, adopted an unexpected metaliterary dimension. ''To the Vertigo'' was critically acclaimed. In 2018, Perpinyà publishes the experimental novel ''And, suddenly, Paradise'' on

Internet Addiction Disorder Internet addiction disorder (IAD), also known as problematic internet use, or pathological internet use, is a problematic compulsive use of the internet, particularly on social media, that impairs an individual's function over a prolonged period ...

. The action takes place in a psychiatric clinic. The work raises a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of the network, as well as discussing other behavioral disorders such as

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

. In 2022, the author enters the

Science Fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

world, with a novel about

Climate Change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

, named ''

Diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma'') is any member of a large group comprising several Genus, genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of Earth's B ...

''. The novel can be classified within the Cli-Fi genre. It is an absurdity plot about the sea that warns about the dangers of

Populism Populism is a essentially contested concept, contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently a ...

and

Demagogy A demagogue (; ; ), or rabble-rouser, is a political leader in a democracy who gains popularity by arousing the common people against elites, especially through oratory that whips up the passions of crowds, appealing to emotion by scapegoat ...

. In 2025 she published the fantasy novel ''The Invisible Body'' of the travels of an ATP enzym inside a human body. Its microscopic adventures are full of scientific humor and recall episodes from Homer's ''Odyssey'' and James Joyce’s ''Ulysses''.

Poetry

In 2023 her first book of poetry ''Changing Skies'' appeared. It is a love story through poems in which a couple in crisis dialogue. The variations in love run parallel to atmospheric changes. The work premiered at the Sala Beckett in Barcelona on 10 May 2023.

Plays

In 2007, ''The Privileged'' appeared. It is a comical dramatic novel in which the author thought about art, adopting a point of view of the guards in a

Museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

. The story narrated a restructuring of an old-fashioned museum into an

Avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

museum, the sceptical attitudes of the guards towards the modern art, and the labour conflicts. The plot passed through vicissitudes of the main character, Mr. Serivà, a genuine, tragic and anti-heroic guard. The irony of the book is addressed to the ignorant audience and the art as a business and political platform. As Ponç Puigdevall said, the novel proofed the effort of the author “to discover new literary territories where the accuracy does not contradict the entertainment”. ''The Calligraphers'' (2010) is a tragicomedy about

Philosophy of Education The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It also examines the concepts and presuppositions of education theories. It is an interdisciplinary fiel ...

in Arts. The plot revolved around the closure of a University Department of Ancient

Calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

and its substitution for a new degree in criminal calligraphic studies. This modernization of the university provoked tensions between the professors and it revealed jealousy and revenges. The play was opened in Lleida, at Escorxador Theatre, December 15, 2010, under the direction of Óscar Sánchez and it was performed by Imma Colomer, Pep Planas, Núria Casado and Ferran Farré. ''The Calligraphers'' is the staging of her essay ''More Than a Machine''. Both books are about

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

. This twinning between

genres Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...

occurs again in 2018 where the same story about the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

appears in a theatrical version (''The Vice'') and in a novelistic version (''And, suddenly, Paradise'').

Non Fiction: A Humanistic Relativism

Among Perpinyà's academic researches, it is worth to mention the studies on a Catalan poet of the 60s, Gabriel Ferrater, a friend of Gil de Biedma and Carlos Barral. An atypical intellectual who had an important influence on the following generations similar to

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American Colloquialism, colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New E ...

or W.H. Auden. In her study ''Gabriel Ferrater: Reception and Contradiction'' (1997), Perpinyà analyzed the myth of Ferrater and did a

deconstruction In philosophy, deconstruction is a loosely-defined set of approaches to understand the relationship between text and meaning. The concept of deconstruction was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who described it as a turn away from ...

of the Catalan criticism. A polemic book “dedicated to all the sceptical readers who realize that, in the literary criticism, nothing completely innocent is ever said”. Perpinyà reappeared in 2008 with “a demythologizing essay”. '' The Crypts of Criticism: Twenty Readings of The Odyssey''; this book offered a wide view on different schools of

Literary Theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, m ...

. Written in “a casual style”, this essay particularly exemplified the theory with examples: twenty different interpretations about the Greek masterpiece. The defense of humanistic

Relativism Relativism is a family of philosophical views which deny claims to absolute objectivity within a particular domain and assert that valuations in that domain are relative to the perspective of an observer or the context in which they are assess ...

can also be observed in her novels in which a kaleidoscope of attitudes related to a particular topic often appeared. In 2010, Perpinyà won an international essay prize for 21st-century editorial of Mexico for her work '' More than a Machine''. This

epistemological Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowled ...

essay is about knowledge and education that extended from the

Age of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...

to the present days, and it pleaded for a creative learning against a routine one. In 2014, Perpinya published her essay on

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

: ''Ruins, Nostalgia and Ugliness'' (2014)Ruins, Nostalgia and Ugliness
/ref> which analyzes the Romantic interest in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, from the eighteenth century to the successful series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

''. Also, one of the theses of the book is considered Romantic,

Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

's pictures as a precedent of

's Ugliness. In 2019, appears her essay on the Catalan

and

Experimental Theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

, ''The Broken Chair''. The book analyzes the hundred years of Catalan, Russian, European Avant-garde Theatre and Theatre of the Absurd from the beginning of twentieth century to the present. It deals with

scenography Scenography is the practice of crafting stage environments or atmospheres. In the contemporary English usage, scenography can be defined as the combination of technological and material stagecrafts to represent, enact, and produce a sense of plac ...

, politics and

dramaturgy Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...

topics. Her book ''Chaos, Virus, Calm'', is a scientist and humanistic study on order and chaos where chaology is compared to artistic, political and social chaos, with particular emphasis on the concepts of

and

post-truth Post-truth is a term that refers to the widespread documentation of, and concern about, disputes over public truth claims in the 21st century. The term's academic development refers to the theories and research that seek to explain the specific cau ...

and on the collapse of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Bibliography

Novels

*1998: ''A Good Mistake'' (''Un bon error'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2001: ''A House to Compose'' (''Una casa per compondre'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2005: ''Mistana'' (''Mistana'', Barcelona, Proa) *2007: ''The Privileged'' (''Els privilegiats'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2013: ''To the Vertigo'' (''Al vertigen'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2018: ''And, suddenly, Paradise'' (''I, de sobte, el paradís''. Barcelona, Comanegra) *2022: ''Diatom'' (''Diatomea'', Barcelona, La Magrana) *2025: ''The Invisible Body'' (''El cos invisible'', Barcelona, La Magrana)

Poetry

*2023: ''Changing Skies'' (''Cels canviants'', Mallorca, Lleonard Muntaner)

Plays

*2007: ''The Privileged'' (''Els privilegiats'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2011: ''The Calligraphers'' (''Els Cal.lígrafs'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2019: ''The Vice'' (''El vici'', Tarragona, Arola)

Non fiction

*1986: ''The Poetry of Gabriel Ferrater'' (''La poesia de Gabriel Ferrater'', Barcelona, Edicions 62; with Xavier Macià) *1991: ''The Theory of Bodies, of Gabriel Ferrater'' (''Teoria dels cossos, de Gabriel Ferrater'', Barcelona, Empúries) *1997: ''Gabriel Ferrater: Reception and Contradiction'' (''Gabriel Ferrater: recepció i contradicció'', Barcelona, Empúries) *2008: ''The Crypts of Criticism: Twenty Readings of The Odyssey'' (''Las criptas de la crítica: veinte lecturas de la Odisea'', Madrid, Gredos) *2010: ''More than a Machine'' (''Más que una máquina'', Mexico, Siglo XXI) *2014:
Ruins, Nostalgia and Ugliness. Five Romantic perceptions of the Middle Ages and a spoonful of Game of Thrones and Avant-garde oddity
' (Berlin, Logos Verlag). *2019: ''The Broken Chair: Avant-garde Catalan Theatre'' (''La cadira trencada. Teatre català d'avantguarda'', Tarragona, Arola) *2021: ''Caos, Virus, Calm. The Theory of Chaos applied to Artistic, Social and Political Disorder'' (''Caos, virus, calma. La Teoría del Caos aplicada al desórden artístico, social y político'', Madrid, Páginas de Espuma) *2023. Editor of ''Oh-Oh. The Exquisite Corpse of Catalan Theater'' (''Ai-Ai. El cadàver exquisit del teatre català'', Tarragona, Arola)

Awards

*1984: Catalan Essay Prize Josep Vallverdú. *2005: National Catalan Critics Prize. *2010: International Essay Prize Editorial Siglo XXI Mexico. *2015: Marguerite Yourcenar Writer's Residence (France). *2019
Art Omi
New York / Writers's Residence. *2020: Malaga Essay Award.

Notes

References

* Abrams, Sam. "Teatre i literatura". ''El Mundo''. 09-06-2011. * Batista, Antoni. “El boom de novelas con música”. ''La Vanguardia''. 23-XI-2001. * Bou, Enric. “Veintiún lecturas de la Odisea”. ''PRL''. New York. October–November 2009. * Casamajó, Gemma. “Els Cal.lígrafs”. ''Time Out'', 30. 19–25 June 2011. * Dasca, Maria. «Mistana / Guia de Lectura». ''Revista de Catalunya'', 210. November 2005. * Galves, Jordi. “Veinte maneras de leer la “Odisea”. ''La Vanguardia. Culturas''. 07-05-2008. * Garzón, Ricard. “El cim des de l'abisme”. ''El País''. 17-X-2013. * González Vaquerizo, Helena. “Nuria Perpinya, Las criptas de la critica. Veinte interpretaciones de la Odisea”. ''Minerva. Revista de Filología Clásica''. Universidad de Valladolid. 2008, 21: 235–238. * Guillamon, Julià. «Vértigo en la niebla». ''La Vanguardia''. 06-07-2005. * Hernández Bustos, Ernesto, “Una casa (no sólo) para componer”, ''FNAC / Clubcultura.com''.01-02-2002. * Jaruchik, Esdres. "Rient-se del mort i del qui et vetlla". ''Benzina'', 20. October 2007. * Not, Anton. "Per escriure bé no hi ha res prohibit". ''La Mañana''. 16-IV-06. * Pagès Jordà, Vicenç. “Amor i culpa a les altures”. ''El Periódico''. 25-IX-2013. * Pla, Xavier. “Els criats avantguardistes”, ''Avui'', 13-IX-2007. * Puigdevall, Ponç. “L’estímul de la dificultat”. ''El País''. 23-06-05. * Salom, Jeroni. “¿Com hem (mal) llegit Gabriel Ferrater?", ''Diario de Mallorca'', 31-X-1997.

External links

Nuria Perpinya website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perpinya, Nuria Spanish dramatists and playwrights Spanish essayists Novelists from Catalonia Spanish women dramatists and playwrights Spanish women essayists 20th-century Spanish women writers 21st-century Spanish women writers Women writers from Catalonia Catalan-language writers