Catalan literature is experiencing a remarkable surge in global visibility, with a record 110 publishers showcasing works at this year’s Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL).

This impressive figure represents a 71% increase from the previous year, according to a report by El País.

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The expansion is fuelled by Barcelona’s role as the fair’s guest city of honour, which has catalysed new translations for 74% of the Catalan writers in the delegation.

Catalan Literature Finds Its Global Voice

Spanish is currently the primary language for translating Catalan works, accounting for 35.59% of all translations. Consequently, Italian, English, and French follow at a significant distance. Izaskun Arretxe, director of the literature and thought area at the Ramon Llull Institute, highlights two emblematic cases of internationalisation. Eva Baltasar’s novel ‘Boulder’, which reached the Booker Prize shortlist, and Irene Solà’s ‘Canto jo i la muntanya balla’, the most translated contemporary Catalan novel with 25 published translations and more planned.

Of all translations into Spanish, 7.3% are now published by Latin American houses, particularly in Argentina and Colombia. Arretxe notes a strong potential connection between the independent publishing scenes in Catalonia and Latin America. “There is a system of small and medium-sized publishers in Latin America that could connect very well with the Catalan independent system,” she explained. The fair has been used to launch translations of writers like Irene Pujadas and Adrià Pujol with Latin American publishers, aiming to strengthen this transatlantic bridge.

Building this connection faces challenges, however. The sale of translation rights is typically by language, not territory. Therefore, if a Spanish publisher without Latin American distribution acquires rights, those rights cannot be sold again in the region. To address this, a seminar has been organised to train translators from Catalan into the various Latin American Spanish variants.

From Children’s Books To Literary Classics

So, who are the most translated Catalan writers? According to the Ramon Llull Institute’s TRAC database, children’s and young adult literature leads the translation charts over the last twenty-five years. Key names include Jaume Copons, Meritxell Martí, and Rocío Bonilla. Meanwhile, contemporary adult fiction stars authors like Bel Olid, Jaume Cabré, and the late poet Joan Margarit.

Looking at the totality of titles, the writer with the most translations into Spanish is the classic author Josep Pla. He is followed by Copons and other literary pillars such as Mercè Rodoreda, Jacint Verdaguer, and Àngel Guimerà. The Barcelona pavilion at the fair features a bookstore with over 10,000 titles, acting as a real-time gauge of Latin American interest. This interest confirms a strong appetite for literature by women, with Montserrat Roig, Gemma Ruiz, and Mercè Rodoreda currently topping sales.

This growing international footprint for Catalan literature reflects a broader cultural moment for the city. The focus on translation and cross-cultural exchange complements other major events that put Barcelona’s creative scene in the global spotlight, such as when the city fills with music during the La Mercè and BAM festivals. The success at Guadalajara signals that Catalan literature is not just being read, but actively sought out by a worldwide audience, securing its place on the international literary stage.

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