What Catalan literature is read in the world and in what languages?

BarcelonaDozens of Catalan writers, editors, agents and booksellers They are landing in Mexico, where from November 29 to December 7 the 39th edition of the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the second most important book fair in the world, will be held, only surpassed by FrankfurtThe presence of Barcelona as the guest city of honor – with 80% of authors writing in Catalan and 20% in Spanish – is a good time to analyze What Catalan literature is read in the world And in which languages, what are the sector's strengths, and what challenges lie ahead?

A careful examination of the Institut Ramon Llull's TRAC database, which includes almost 8,000 translations published in 74 languages, leads to three striking conclusions. The first is that the Catalan literature the world wants to read has little to do with bestseller lists. The second is that Spanish remains, by a wide margin, the language into which the most books written in Catalan are translated. The third is that one of the genres with undeniable growing demand from publishers worldwide is children's and young adult literature.

The challenge of reaching Latin America

It's difficult to know what percentage of current translations can be found in bookstores

According to TRAC, between 2014 and 2024 there were 1,121 translations of Catalan literature into Spanish. The second language with the most translations of Catalan works in the last decade is Italian (289), followed by French (277), English (236), and German (124). "The fact that there are so many translations into Spanish has several meanings. It means, for example, that this language continues to be the main gateway to Spain, although we cannot specify the percentage of sales in Catalan-speaking territories versus the percentage in the rest of the country," explains Izaskun Arretxe, Director of the Market Area with the Literature Area of the Institute. "They can arrive in two ways: either distributed by the publishers that released them in Spain, or in editions published by Latin American publishers." Of the authors who will be at the Guadalajara International Book Fair representing Barcelona as the guest of honor, some could already be read in editions published in Spain (the vast majority: Marta OrriolsXavier Bosch, Silvia Soler, Regina Rodríguez Sirvent...) and others who will be presenting new works in Mexico, such as Xavier Mas Craviotto, whose novel has been published by the Veracruzana University Press. The skin of the world.

“It’s very difficult to know the reach and impact of books that arrive in Latin America,” Arretxe points out. “It’s a fragmented market across several countries, which are also very diverse among themselves. Some publishers are interested in publishing an author and find that translation rights are sold by language, not by territory. This detail prevents the details from becoming obstacles.” Conversely, when a book is available and a Mexican, Colombian, or Argentinian publisher wants to release it, the translator often wants to maintain the linguistic characteristics of that territory. “We estimate that around 7% of Catalan literature books available in the Latin American market are translated specifically for one of its territories,” continues the director of the Literature Department at the Institut Ramon Llull. Translations into Spanish have grown remarkably over the last decade: while there were 60 in 2014, the figure rose to 97 in 2019 and increased even more in 2024, to 133. The provisional data for 2025, with all of December still to be counted, includes novels by Ferran Torrent and Mònica Batet, essays by Marina Garcés and Josep Ramoneda, and the collected plays of Josep Maria Miró.

The growing internationalization of women writers

Of the five most translated authors in the last five years, four are women

"If we were to look at the translation history, Mercè Rodoreda "She would appear at the top of the list, and there would be several translated female authors, such as Carme Riera and Maria Barbal, but the majority of the names would be men," Arretxe continues. Among the most translated authors are contemporary classics like Salvador Espriu (with 159 translations) and Josep Pla (108), as well as authors still active and Quim Monzó (98). Rodoreda surpasses them all, with 226 translations into over forty languages. However, there is a lesser-known case that has accumulated even more translations than the author of The Diamond SquareAnd it is the writer and illustrator Rocío Bonilla from Badalona, especially thanks to the series of children's books starring the Minimoni.

"Bonilla has achieved 248 translations, a spectacular figure, and in the last 5 years alone he has achieved 151 translations," Arretxe comments. "Among the most translated authors between 2021 and 2025 there are many who dedicate themselves to children's and young adult literature." Jaume Copons, author of successful series such asAgus and the Monsters and Bitmax & Co, adds 82 translations; Elisenda Roca, 40, and Meritxell Martí, 38.The participation of Catalan culture at the Bologna fair in 2017"Specializing in children's and young adult books, this was an important turning point in this regard," adds the director of the Literature Area of the Institut Ramon Llull. One detail that significantly increases translations of children's and young adult literature is that many authors write book series and, therefore, their work contains more titles than authors of adult literature. In this last section, it is striking that many of the most translated authors (Irene Solà, Eva Baltasar, Jaume Cabré) appear on bestseller lists. The reception of a book is influenced by the work itself, but also by the author and their ability to reach readers through social media, traditional media, and book clubs. What resonates with readers in other countries may not be what sells best in their countries of origin, and literary sensibilities also vary from place to place.

Another noteworthy fact is the majority presence of female writers on the list of most translated authors since 2021. Rocío Bonilla holds the top spot—the only female author of adult novels—; fourth is Elisenda Roca (40), and fifth is Meritxell Martí. (38). Second place goes to Jaume Copons, with 82 translations. “Internationally, there are increasingly more editors who are less prejudiced when it comes to publishing women,” explains Arretxe, who also points out two other pieces of good news: “In this last decade, the number of translations of non-fiction titles has almost doubled” (from 27 in 2014 to 53 in 2024). “They engage with our present,” she asserts, before citing the recent boom in translations by Montserrat Roig and cases such as those of Blai Bonet and Vicent Andrés Estellés.

And after Guadalajara?

Three territories where Catalan literature could expand

Just over a decade ago, the then deputy director of the Institut Ramon Llull, Alex SusannaShe emphasized the "strategic importance of increasing the number of translations from Catalan to English." Since 2014, the annual number of translations into English has not fallen below 20, reaching a total of 236; in the previous decade, the total was 108. "We must persist in the places and with the languages in which we have established ourselves, but there are still many opportunities to promote Catalan literature," Izaskun Arretxe explains. "To put this into practice, we need more resources and people." During the last decade, there have been 30 translations from Catalan into Chinese, 26 into Arabic, 20 into Korean, 7 into Vietnamese, and only 2 into Japanese. "We also need to implement strategies to increase translations of non-fiction, comics, classics, and plays," she continues. "Catalonia is a powerhouse in terms of the internationalization of performing arts, but we still have a long way to go in terms of translation."

The work that publishers, agents, and institutions do at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) will be reflected in the medium term in the catalogs of Mexican and other Latin American publishers. "Authors who have already had a work translated with the fair in mind will hopefully find continued publication in the same catalog or find another publisher," says Arretxe. "There will be 119 Catalan publishers, a much higher number than in previous editions, ready to make contacts and build relationships. Among them are publishing projects like Periscopio and Ángulo, which can connect with the interests of Latin American publishers of similar size and focus."