Olga Xirinacs Díaz facts for kids

Olga Xirinacs Díaz

Olga Xirinacs Díaz (born in 1936) is a talented Spanish writer and piano teacher. She was born in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain), and still lives and works there today.

Throughout her career, Olga Xirinacs has written many different types of books. She writes beautiful poetry, exciting plays, interesting stories, and thoughtful essays.

You might have seen her articles in daily newspapers like La Vanguardia and Avui. She has also taught writing classes at places like the Aula de Lletres and Barcelona's Pompeu Fabra University.

Many of her books have won important awards in Catalan literature. These include famous prizes like the Sant Jordi, Sant Joan, Josep Pla, and Ramon Llull prizes. She also won the Carles Riba prize for her poetry.

Olga Xirinacs has published more than 300 stories! About 250 of these are for adults, and around 50 are special stories for children. She is one of the very few women to be named a "Mestra en Gai Saber" (Master in the Art of Poetry) at the Jocs Florals, which is a big literary contest. The famous writer Mercè Rodoreda Gurgui also held this title.

In 1990, the Generalitat de Catalunya gave her the Creu de Sant Jordi award. This is one of the highest honors in Catalonia. She is also a member of the Association of Catalan-Language Writers.

Discovering Olga Xirinacs' Prose Works

Prose works are writings that are not poetry, like novels, short stories, and essays. Olga Xirinacs has written many popular books in this style.

• Música de cambra (Chamber music)
• Interior amb difunts (Inside Corpses) – This book won the Josep Pla Prize in 1982.
• La mostela africana i altres contes (The African weasel and other tales)
• Al meu cap una llosa (On my Head, a Tombstone) – This book won the Sant Jordi Prize in 1984 and the Serra d'Or Critics Prize.
• Zona marítima (Maritime Area) – This book won the Ramon Llull Novel Award in 1986.
• Relats de mort i altres matèries (Stories of death and other stuff)
• Mar de fons (Deep sea)
• Tempesta d'hivern (Winter storm)
• Enterraments lleugers (Shallow Interments) – This book won the Sant Joan Prize in 1990.
• Cerimònia privada (Private ceremony)
• Josep Sala
• Sense malícia (Without wickedness) – This book won the City of Palma Novel Prize in 1993.
• Sucant el melindro (Dipping the sponge biscuit)
• La Via Augusta. Vint pobles fan el Tarragonès. De Llevant a Ponent (August Way. Twenty villages that make Tarragones. From West to East)
• Viatge d’aigua. Un passeig per la Costa Daurada (Water travel. A walk through Costa Daurada)
• La tarda a Venècia (An afternoon in Venice)
• L’home que mossegava les dones (The man who bit women)
• Pavana per un tauró (Mourning music for a Shark)
• No jugueu al cementiri (Do not play in the cemetery) – This book won the Thriller Prize in 2001.
• Els 7 pecats capitals. La peresa – eròtica- (The 7 capital sins. .....)
• Setmana de difunts (Dead week)
• El viatge. Dietari 1986-1990 (The voyage: Diary 1986-1990)
• El hijo del tejedor (The weaver's son) – This book is in Spanish.
• Trens (Trains)

Exploring Olga Xirinacs' Poetic Works

Olga Xirinacs is also known for her beautiful poetry. Here are some of her collections:

• Botons de tiges grises (Buttons from grey items)
• Clau de blau (Tarraconis vrit amor) (The Blue Key)
• Llençol de noces (Wedding bedsheet)
• Tramada (Plotted) – A collective work with the group Espiadimonis.
• Preparo el te sota palmeres roges (I prepare the tea under red palm trees) – This book won the Caravel·la Prize in 1980.
• Versifonies (Versymphonies) – Another collective work with the group Espiadimonis.
• Llavis que dansen (Lips that dance)
• La pluja sobre els palaus (The rain over the palaces)
• La muralla (The wall)
• Mansardes (Mansards) – A collective work with the group Espiadimonis.
• Grills de mandarina (Mandarin orange segments)
• El sol a les vinyes (The Sun in the vineyards. Il vangelo, Pasolini in memoriam) – This is a bilingual edition.
• Eterna (Eternal) – This is also a bilingual edition in Catalan and Spanish.

Olga Xirinacs' Books for Young Readers

Olga Xirinacs has written many wonderful stories especially for children.

• Marina – Illustrated by Asun Balzola.
• Patates fregides (Fried potatoes) – Illustrated by Carme Solé.
• Sóc un arbre (I’m a tree) – Illustrated by Asun Balzola.
• El far del capità (The captain’s lighthouse) – Illustrated by Carme Solé.
• Xocolata (Chocolate)
• El meu pare és capità (My father is a captain) – Illustrated by Gemma Sales.
• Final d’estiu (Summer’s end)
• Wendy torna a volar (Wendy flies again)
• El vol de Dràcula (Dracula’s fly) – Illustrated by Francesc Infante.
• Mòmies (Mummies)
• Triangles mortals o la sala dels difunts (Mortal triangles or the corpses' room) – Illustrated by Mercè Canals.
• Marina / Cavall de mar (Marina/Seahorse) – Illustrated by Asun Balzola.
• La núvia adormida (The sleeping bride)
• La Vaca Xoriça (Xoriça caw) – Illustrated by Laia Soler.
• Un cadàver per sopar (A corpse for dinner) – This book won the City of Badalona Prize for Young People's Narrative in 2000.
• L’escrivent de làpides (The tombstone court clerk)

Olga Xirinacs' Works in Other Languages

Many of Olga Xirinacs' books and stories have been translated so more people can enjoy them.

Spanish Translations

Olga Xirinacs has translated some of her own works into Spanish.

• Zona marítima (Maritime zone) – Translated by Sara Pujol.
• El faro del capitán (The captain’s lighthouse)
• Fin de verano (Summer’s end)
• El vuelo de drácula (Dracula’s fly)
• El árbol de mi patio (The tree from my courtyard) – With drawings by Asun Balzola.
• Marina y Caballito de mar (Marina and Sea horse)
• La novia dormida (The Asleep bride)
• El escribiente de lápidas (The tombstone court clerk) – Translated by Pau Joan Hernàndez.

Translations into Other Languages

Her stories have also been translated into German, Basque, and Russian.

• Her poetry collection, Lips that dance, was translated into English by Hillary J Gardner at Washington University.
• Some of her poems have been published in French and Canadian magazines.
• Jardines sobre el mar (Gardens over the sea) is a bilingual poetry collection. It was translated into Russian by Elena Zernova at Sant Petersburg University in 2003.

See also

In Spanish: Olga Xirinacs para niños