Montserrat Abelló (Tarragona, 1918 - Barcelona, 2014) was poet and translator.

Apart from her poetic work such as Vida diària (1963), Foc a les mans (1990), Dins l'esfera del temps (1998) and Memòria de tu i de mi (2006), is noteworthy her work as a translator of English poets, in particular Sylvia Plath. She also translated into English texts from Salvador Espriu and Mercè Rodoreda, amongst others, which determiningly contributed to the diffusion of Catalan literature abroad.

Involved in the feminist movements sice the early 1970's, she was editor of several women poetry anthologies, such as Cares a la finestra: vint dones poetes de parla anglesa del segle XX (1993). In 2002 her poetic work was compiled into the volume Al cor de les paraules, awarded the Cavall Verd-Josep M. Llompart, the Quima Jaume and the Lletra d'Or (2003). In 2007 she was awarded the Cavall Verd-Rafael Jaume for her translations of Sylvia Plath, and in 2008 she received the Jaume Fuster of the Catalan writers, the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes and the Premi Nacional de Cultura.

She was a member of honour of Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana.



Page updated by Josep Miàs for AELC.
Photographs: Teresa Sanz and Carme Esteve.
Translation by Josep Miàs.