Manent, Marià, 1898-1988

Marià Manent i Cisa (Barcelona, 1898-1988). Poet, writer, translator and literary critic. He studied business and languages, especially English and French. He worked at the publishers, Editorial Políglota, and he was the literary director for the publishers, Juventud. He contributed to publications such as La Publicitat, La veu de Catalunya, La Vanguardia and L’Avui. He began his poetic work under the influence of the Noucentist movement and then drifted towards symbolism and pure poetry. He translated Chinese poetry and several British poets (John Keats, Dylan Thomas, William Blake, etc.) and other writers such as Rudyard Kipling, G. K. Chesterton and Lewis Carroll.

Throughout his life he intermittently wrote some personal diaries which were key in Catalan prose literature of the twentieth century. He was part of numerous literary initiatives: he founded Amics de la Poesia (Friends of Poetry), created the magazine, Revista de poesia, directed the journals, Quaderns de poesia and internationally represented the Catalan branch of PEN Club (PEN International), among other things.

Among other awards and honours, he received the Premi Lletra d'Or (1968), several Premi Crítica Serra d'Or awards and the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes (1985).

Viquipèdia

Who is who (Institució de les Lletres Catalanes)

Marià Manent collection in the l’Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya (National Archive of Catalonia)