Manel Alonso i Català (Puçol, València, 1962).

One day he started to work as a journalist and, some time later, he became a publisher, since this seemed to be the only profession which fulfilled his dreams. He participated in the foundation of the magazine Aljamia, XIII Premi dels Escriptors a la difusió, and in the publishing house Brosquil. He also worked as a general editor of Germania Serveis, 7 i mig editorial de poesia. Manel Alonso loves literature and has devoted his life to words. His friends would tell you that, as a general editor of Brosquil Edicions, Manel is working throughly to bring to light poems, novels and short stories that would otherwise remain in oblivion because of lack of support. In short, he is a cultural activist and a writer deeply committed to the future of his language and people.

He has written several books for children: Bernat i els seus amics (1996), published in Spanish by Brosquil Edicions (2002), Els cinc enigmes del rei (2000) and Caram, quina aventura! (2001). He was awarded the 10th Premi de Narrativa Infantil Empar Lanuza for this title. He was also the recipient of the 10th Premi Samaruc, a prize awarded by the Associació de Bibliotecaris Valencians. His other children books are L'arracada de l'oncle de Joan (2003, also published in Spanish by Associació de Bibliotecaris Valencians); La calderona és nostra (2003), Atrapar el viento (2005), Conte contat torna a començar (2006), La gata Perla (2006) and Conta'm un conte (2008).

He has also written some short stories which have been collected in the volume El carrer dels Bonsais (2000) and Els somriures de la pena (2011) and the following novels: La maledicció del silenci (1992), Escola d'estiu (1994, translated into Spanish with the title Escuela de verano (1996), and En el mar de les Antilles (1998). Also He has published the diaries titled Estiu 1987 (2005), El temps no vol quedar penjat (2008) and A mala hora gos no lladra (2010). He has four books of poems: Amb els plànols del record (1994), Oblits, mentides i homenatges (1998), Un gest de la memòria (1999), Com una òliba (2002), Correspondència de guerra (2009) and an anthology Les hores rehabilitades (2002).

With his Les petjades de l'home invisible (2017) he was awarded the Valencian Writers Critics' Prize for essay.

Manel Alonso is a member of Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana (AELC, Association of Catalan Language Writers).



Web page: Anna Solé.
Documentation: Author's personal files.
Photographs: © Vicent Salvador i Llopis.
Translation: Julie Wark.