Oliver, Joan (Pere Quart), 1899-1986

Joan Oliver i Sallarès (Sabadell, 1899-Barcelona, 1986). Poet, playwright and translator. As a poet he used the pseudonym, Pere Quart (he was the fourth of eleven brothers). He studied Law and Philosophy. Along with Francesc Trabal and Armand Obiols, he created the Grup de Sabadell (Sabadell Group). After the Civil War he went into exile in France, Buenos Aires, and finally in Santiago where, with Xavier Benguerel, he founded the publishers, El Pi de les Tres Branques. In 1948, he returned to Barcelona and in the mid-fifties he ran the collection of Catalan novels, El club dels novel·listes, at the publishers, Aymà. For a time he was director of the publishers, Alcides, and later the publishers, Proa.

As a translator, he worked on works by Molière, Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht. As a poet, he style was called "social poetry", not elitist and attentive to realities of society. His works include: Allò que tal vegada s’esdevingué (1936), Oda a Barcelona (1936), Bestiari (1937), La fam (1938) and Vacances pagades (1959).

Among other awards and honours received include, the Prize of the President of the Republic of France (1951) at the Floral Games in Paris for the Catalan translation of for El misantrop, the Premi Ausiàs March de poesia de Gandia (1959) and the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes (1970).

Viquipèdia

Who is who (Institució de les Lletres Catalanes)

Joan Oliver i Sallarès collection in the Arxiu Històric de Sabadell (Sabadell Historical Archive)

Joan Oliver special collection in the Biblioteca Sant Antoni-Joan Oliver (Sant Antoni-Joan Oliver Library)