Jaume Cabré (Barcelona, 1947). He began to write when he was a Philology student at the University of Barcelona. After completing his degree, he spent many years teaching Language and Literature in Barcelona, Vila-real (Plana Baixa) and Terrassa. He is a writer and scriptwriter, author of a narrative work of great conceptual and literary rigor, undoubtedly one of the most relevant and with the most international projection of contemporary Catalan literature.

His first book, a collection of short stories, was published in 1974. Since then he has published a number of novels, notable amongst which are La Teranyina (1984), Fra Junoy o l'agonia dels sons (1984), Senyoria (1991), L'ombra de l'eunuc (1996), Les veus del Pamano (2004) and Jo confesso (2011). He has also written outstanding collections of short stories, such as Llibre de preludis (1985), Viatge d'hivern (2000), Llibre de preludis (2002) and QUan arriba la penombra (2017).

As a television scriptwriter he has created three fictional series, La Granja (TV3, 1988-1991), Estació d'Enllaç (TV3, 1994-1998) and Crims (TV3, 1999). He has also worked with other writers on different film and television scripts. He has published the essay El sentit de la ficció (1999), a reflection on writing and the creative process. His play Pluja seca was premiered at the National Theatre of Catalonia in 2001.

His novels have been translated into several languages. He has received the Serra d'Or Critics' Prize on five occasions (1981,1985, 1991, 1997 and 2001), the Catalan Critics' Prize four times (1985, 1997, 2005 and 2011), the Lletra d'Or Prize (1997) and many others including the Sant Jordi, the Prudenci Bertrana and the Joan Crexells prizes. In 2003, he was awarded the Jaume Fuster Prize of the Catalan Language Writers, for his work as a whole. In 2010 he was honoured with the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes, in 2014 with the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Catalan Government and in 2017 with the Premi Trajectòria from the Catalan Language Week Books.

Cabré is an honorary member of the Associació d’Escriptors en Llengua Catalana (AELC – Association of Catalan Language Writers).


Web page: Xulio Ricardo Trigo for AELC.
Documentation: David Ventura and Josep Miàs.
Translation: Julie Wark.
Photographs: © AELC.