Carmen Balcells facts for kids
Carmen Balcells Segala (born August 9, 1930 – died September 20, 2015) was a very important literary agent. She helped writers from Spain and Latin America share their stories with the world. A literary agent helps authors find publishers for their books and handles their contracts.
Carmen Balcells led her own agency from 1956 to 2000. During this time, she played a huge part in the "Latin American Boom" of the 1960s. This was a time when many amazing books from Latin American authors became famous worldwide. Six authors she worked with even won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
After retiring, she received many awards, including an honorary doctorate. But she loved her work so much that she returned to her agency in 2008. Many authors dedicated their books to her or even included her as a character. People called her "one of the most powerful and influential women in Spanish letters." She passed away in Barcelona at age 85. The famous writer Mario Vargas Llosa said, "Carmen dearest, see you soon."
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Her Career as an Agent
Carmen Balcells started her career in 1955. A Spanish poet named Jaume Ferran introduced her to leading writers of that time. She began working part-time at a literary agency in Barcelona.
In 1956, she decided to start her own business, the Carmen Balcells Literary Agency. At first, she helped foreign authors get their books translated into Spanish. Soon, she began representing Spanish-speaking authors. One of her first local authors was Luis Goytisolo.
Helping Famous Authors
Over the years, Carmen Balcells worked with a long list of famous writers. These included Pablo Neruda, Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortázar, and Isabel Allende. She helped many of these authors become known around the world.
Some authors, like García Márquez, even dedicated their novels to her. Others, such as Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, included her as a character in their stories. This shows how much they respected and valued her.
Making Contracts Fairer
Carmen Balcells believed her greatest achievement was making contracts better for authors. Before her, authors often had unfair deals with publishers. She worked hard to change this.
She made sure contracts had time limits. This meant authors could get their rights back after a certain period. She also made sure authors kept the rights to their book translations. This helped authors earn more money from their work.
Once, Gabriel García Márquez jokingly asked her, "Do you love me, Carmen?" She replied, "I cannot answer, you are one third of my revenue." This shows how important her authors were to her business.
Retirement and Return
In May 2000, after almost forty years of work, Carmen Balcells announced her retirement. She had received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts and an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Her agency was then led by Gloria Gutierrez.
However, she returned to lead the agency in 2008. Some important writers had left the agency, and she wanted to help. In 2010, the Spanish Ministry of Culture bought about fifty years of her personal work files. They paid three million euros for these valuable archives.
In May 2014, Carmen Balcells announced she would join forces with another famous agent, Andrew Wylie. They planned to create the Balcells-Wylie agency.
Her Personal Life
Carmen Balcells was the oldest of four children. She was born on August 9, 1930, in a small town called Santa Fe de Segarra. This town in Catalonia, Spain, had only about fifty people. She went to primary school there.
In 1946, her family moved to Barcelona. She worked various jobs that were not related to literature. In 1961, she married Luis Palomares. Three years later, they had their only son, Luis Miguel Palomares Balcells. Today, her son is the owner and director of her agency.
Awards and Recognition
Carmen Balcells was known as the most famous literary agent in the Spanish-speaking world. She received many important awards, including:
- 1997 – Medal of Honor in Barcelona.
- 2000 – Medal for Artistic Merit, given by the City Council of Barcelona.
- 2005 – Doctor Honoris Causa from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. This is an honorary doctorate degree.
- 2006 – The Cross of Saint George.
- 2006 – Montblanc Award for Women.
She also served on the Advisory Council of the Prince of Girona Foundation.
See also
In Spanish: Carmen Balcells para niños
