Xavier Fàbregas (Montcada i Reixac, Vallès Occidental, 1931 – Palermo, Sicily, 1985). Writer, theatre critic, essayist and educator, he is the most relevant expert on Catalan Theater of the XX Century.

Throughout his career, he participated in a diverse range of activities relating to performing arts. His critiques includes almost 3.000 published articles in the press and specialized magazines, as well as theatre adaptations, prologues, editions and several essays, such as Història del teatre universal (1966), Teatre català d'agitació política (1969), Àngel Guimerà, les dimensions d'un mite (1971), Aproximació a la història del teatre català modern (1972), Introducció al llenguatge teatral (1973) and Les formes de diversió en la societat catalana romàntica (1975). Through his involvement in theatre he became interested in Cultural Anthropology and Semiotics, and published the works Cavallers, dracs i dimonis (1976), Tradicions, mites i creences dels catalans (1979), El llibre de les bèsties (1984), awarded the Crítica Serra d'Or and El fons ritual de la vida quotidiana (1982), among others. As a playwright, he wrote close to twenty plays, principally in Spanish, from which he published Partits pel mig (1957) and El nuevo rapto de Elena (1957). He also published several travel books, such as Entre Catalunya i Aragó (1971) and Europa, Europa! (1982), and one novel, L'encalç (1982).

After his death several hommages were organized: he was awarded the Premi Nacional d'Activitats Teatrals (1985) and the Crítica Serra d'Or de Teatre (1986); awards were created in his name such as the Premi Nacional Xavier Fàbregas of essay and research (1986-1997), the Premi Xavier Fàbregas of Clown arts (1986-1995) and the Palermo University award for young playwrights (1990-1995).



Page by Josep Miàs for the AELC.
Documentation: Maryse Badiou, Paco Cerezo and Josep Miàs.
Pòrtic photograph: © Pau Barceló, 1976. Biografia photographs: Maryse Badiou's personal files.