To celebrate three great names in Catalan literature

Barcelona"Today is one of those days when it's quite a shock to have a full auditorium and see on screen the figures we are commemorating this year," said Eduard Escoffet, director of the Institution of Catalan Letters (ILC). "This year's commemorations honor three great names in Catalan literature: the poet Clementina Arderiu [Barcelona 1889-1976], whose name everyone knows, but who remains one of the great unknowns of our literature; the case of Blai Bonet [Santanyí, 1926-1997], about whom there are still many aspects we don't know, and Josep M. Castellet [Barcelona, ​​1926-2014], who did very important work as an editor." Fifty years after Arderiu's death. One hundred years after Bonet and Castellet's birth.

Escoffet explained that there is a restriction limiting commemorations to a maximum of three people per year, but that, "apart from these government-approved commemorations, we wanted to add the name of Joan Alcover [1854-1926], as this year marks the centenary of his death." "We wanted these commemorations to coincide with the celebration of World Poetry Day, which, as the Institution of Catalan Letters, we want to turn into a festival, with activities throughout the region," he added before giving the floor to the commemoration curators. The first to speak was Maria Callís, curator of the Arderiu Year, editor, poet, and PhD in linguistics, who explained that there are five objectives: "To foster the academic study of the poet; to promote critical analysis of her work through articles and anthologies; to promote reading in secondary schools; and to promote dialogue with music and the visual arts." Coinciding with Arderiu's birth on July 6, the main event will take place, with various activities, such as the musical setting of some poems by Anna Andreu.

Next, Pau Vadell, the curator of the Bonet Year, a poet and historian, spoke. He explained that the Bonet Year is being celebrated jointly with Mallorca, through the Mallorca Literary Foundation and the Santanyí City Council. The main events will take place in Barcelona in the autumn and on December 10th in Palma. The poet will also be featured at festivals such as Litterarum in Móra d'Ebre, Luna en Vers in Mallorca, and Ara Poesia in Girona, among others. "Bonet is one of the most unique and expressive writers in Catalan literature. I am very happy that it coincides with the Arderiu Year, since Bonet had a close relationship with Barcelona thanks to this poet and Carles Riba," Vadell noted.

Castellet, memorialist and cultural activist

Next, Teresa Muñoz, curator of the Castellet Year, translator, and scholar of his life and work, took the floor. "Castellet's best-known facets have been those of editor and literary critic, but this year we will emphasize his lesser-known roles: cultural activist and memoirist," she said. The objectives are "to disseminate Castellet's activities during the second half of the 20th century, to encourage the reading of his literary portraits, to promote a debate on the current publishing landscape, and to explain his work in Europe. The main event will take place in November, with the monologue A literary portrait of Josep M. CastelletWritten and directed by Albert Arribas. Also noteworthy is a day of talks on March 6 at the Library of Catalonia and the opening of an exhibition at the Palau Robert in October.

Finally, Ignasi Moreta, editor and professor of literature at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​who was in charge of programming the tribute to Joan Alcover, spoke. "It's impossible to conceive of an anthology of Catalan poetry without poems by Alcover," he asserted. "It makes perfect sense for the Institution of Catalan Letters to pay him tribute." The main event will take place on February 25th at the Ateneu Barcelonès, and will feature Maria del Mar Bonet, whose musical settings of Alcover's poems Moreta highlighted. The balangueraIt will be an intense event, on an institutional, academic, and poetic-musical level. We want to continue celebrating this figure who nourishes us so much spiritually,” he concluded.