Joan Ferraté i Soler facts for kids

Joan Ferraté i Soler was a Spanish poet, critic, and translator. He is known for his important work in literature, both as a writer and for bringing works from other languages into Spanish.

Ferraté studied classical languages at the University of Barcelona. This means he learned about ancient Greek and Latin, which helped him later in his translation work. After his studies, he lived abroad for a few years. He taught in Cuba and then in Canada, gaining different experiences before returning to Spain.

His Career in Literature

From 1970 to 1973, Joan Ferraté worked as the literary director for Seix Barral, a well-known publishing company. In this role, he helped decide which books would be published, playing a big part in the literary world.

Ferraté wrote many different types of books. He wrote poetry, essays (short pieces of writing on a specific subject), biographies (stories of people's lives), and literary criticism (reviews and analysis of books).

A Gifted Translator

One of Joan Ferraté's most famous contributions was his work as a translator. He is especially known for translating classical Greek poetry. He also translated all the poems of Cavafy, a famous Greek poet. His translations helped many Spanish readers discover these important works.

In 1979, Ferraté won the prestigious Premio Crítica Serra d’Or award for his book of Cavafy translations. This book was titled Vuitanta-vuit poemes, which means Eighty-eight Poems.

Family Connections

Joan Ferraté i Soler was the brother of another famous writer, Gabriel Ferrater. Gabriel Ferrater was a well-known poet who wrote in the Catalan language.