Catalan poet, playwright, literary manager, translator, narrator, and journalist
In thisCatalan name, the first or paternal surname is Oliver and the second or maternal family name is Sallarès; both are generally joined by the conjunction "i".
Joan Oliver i Sallarès (Catalan pronunciation:[ʒuˈanuliˈβejsəʎəˈɾɛs]), also known by his pseudonymPere Quart, (1899 inSabadell – 1986 inBarcelona) was a Catalan poet, playwright, literary manager, translator, narrator, and journalist. He is considered one of the most important twentieth-century writers ofCatalonia.
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 novelistFrancesc Trabal and the poetArmand Obiols. In this group the influence of vanguardism was combined with local humor.
During theCivil War he engaged politically with therepublican side. He was nominated president of theAssociation of Catalan Writers and leader ofGeneralitat's Ministry of Culture publications. Moreover, he was co-founder and headleader ofInstitution 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, theRepublican Generalitat will order him the task of evacuating all the intellectuals. Finished the war will exile first inFrance, embark towardsBuenos Aires and establish definitively inSantiago of Chile, 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 inChile). He set up the collection "The pine of the three branches" alongXavier Benguerel.
In 1948 Joan Oliver came back to Barcelona, whereFranco's regime was characterized by authoritarianism and repression. He was imprisoned for three months in theModel prison of Barcelona. Three years later he received thePrize of the French Republic President in the floral games of Paris, for the translation intoCatalan ofThe Misanthrope byMolière. He translated and adapted works of several authors - for exampleAnton Chekhov. 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 theCreu de Sant Jordi award.[1] 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 inBarcelona and was buried in his natal city, Sabadell.
Creator of a very diverse work, his poetry is influenced byrealism, with a skeptical tone, and influenced by the effects of theSpanish Civil War and the subsequent family's exile. His narrative style is clearly marked by theirony against all the established conventions.[2]
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 werePrimera representació [First representation] andBall robat [Stolen Ball], andD'una drecera [a shortcut] was his attempt to approach to public.[3]
Gairebé un acte o Joan, Joana i Joanet, 1929 [Almost an Act: or, Joan, Joana, and Joanet]
Allò que tal vegada s'esdevingué [What 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 [New Waitress], 1937
La fam [Hunger], Barcelona: Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, 1938 / Barcelona: Aymà, 1975 / Barcelona: Proa, 2003. released in Barcelona'sTeatre Poliorama)
L'amor deixa el camí ral [Love Leaves the Highroad], 1947
^Marrugat, Jordi (2015). "La participació de Sabadell en la construcció d'un teatre nacional català".Revista Arraona. Sabadell. pp. 120–121.ISSN0403-2616.
