Empar de Lanuza i Hurtado (València, 1950) has a degree in Education from the University of Valencia and has always worked with children and in the spheres of teaching and letters.

A prolific writer, she is particularly well-known for her stories for children and young people with works like El savi rei boig i altres contes (The Wise Mad King and Other Stories, 1979), Bon viatge, Pitblanc (Good Trip, Whitebreast, 1982), Aventura d'una desventura (The Fortunes of a Misfortune, 1985) and La família feroç (The Ferocious Family, 1988). She is also one of the few authors who writes theatre for children, one of her notable works being the collection of plays entitled Mitja dotzena (Half a Dozen, 1984). Moreover, she has written poetry for small children, among these works being Versos al sol (Verses to the Sun, 2000) and Abecedari de diumenge (Sunday ABC, 1988), and she has also participated as a writer in the television series called Nana Bunilda. She has been awarded a number of prizes, including the Folch i Torres Prize (1978) for El savi rei boig, the Tirant lo Blanch Prize (1986) and the Serra d'Or Critics Prize (1989) for Abecedari de diumenge.

She has published many articles and essays for adults as well and her book València, fragments d'un dietari poètic (Valencia, Fragments from a Poetic Diary, 2002) was awarded the 2001 Roís de Corella Poetry Prize. Along with her literary activity, Empar de Lanuza has taught children with learning disabilities how to read and write, has worked with the Department of Language Teaching, and has also worked at the University of Valencia and for the Government of Valencia.


Web page: Mar Veciana for AELC.
Translation: Julie Wark.