The minds behind this two-man talk believe in no uncertain terms that the Catalan canon must be rewritten, and that this process must take place from the fringes, including less conventional genres (including the fantastic ones). Ramon Mas, author and co-founder of Males Herbes publishing house, already gave his two cents on the topic several months ago with the all-too overlooked essay Inventari d’afinitats [Inventory of Affinities], in which he explored moral catacombs ranging from Prudenci Bertrana to Ferran Canyameres, the captivating musings of Joan Santamaria and Frederic Pujulà and the other worlds that Espriu, Sarsanedas, Vinyes and Rodoreda visited outside of their best-known works. He’ll be accompanied by author and translator Javier Calvo, who champions Catalan-language science fiction under the pseudonym Héctor Ribadeneyra, with which he recently won an Ictineu Award, and who is convinced of the need to upend the conventions of the Catalan tradition, which he believes originated in a context that discouraged risk-taking. Which authors do they think are missing from this canon? And which should be removed? How and why would it be a good idea to rewrite it? Is it just a matter of names? Warning: this talk may not be suitable for the cultural snobs of the intelligentsia. Everyone else can’t miss it.

Speakers:

Ramon Mas

Javier Calvo