Pere Calders i Rossinyol was a Catalanwriter 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, and the brief novel La glòria del doctor Larén. Exiled in Mexico for twenty-three years, along with his brother-in-law, he composed his most critically well-received works, in particular the short storiesCròniques de la veritat oculta and Gent de l'alta vall, and the novelRonda naval sota la boira. He returned to Catalonia in 1962. Alongside publishing work and journalistic collaborations, he wrote L'ombra de l'atzavara, 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, and shortly before his death was awarded the National Prize from Journalism. 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.
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 and Annella McDermott. Sawtry: Dedalus; 1999.
Collected works
El primer arlequí
Unitats de xoc
Memòries especials
Cròniques de la veritat oculta
Gent de l'alta vall
Demà a les tres de la matinada
Invasió subtil i altres contes
Antaviana , with Dagoll Dagom
Tot s'aprofita
El sabeu, aquell?
De teves a meves: trenta-dos contes que acaben més o menys bé
Els nens voladors
Tres per cinc, quinze
La cabra i altres narracions
El desordre públic
Un estrany al jardí
El barret fort i altres inèdits
Raspall
Kalders i Tísner, dibuixos de guerra a L'Esquella de la Torratxa
