“More professionalisation, but with more precariousness”, the president of the Association of Writers in the Catalan Language, Sebastià Portell, summarized the study on the professional situation of writers and translators, Writing in Catalan 2023, which was presented this Wednesday in the College of Journalists of Catalonia, which was organized by the company Aplica, and in which 38.8% of its 1,725 ??members participated.
On the one hand, Portell has mentioned that 22% of those surveyed dedicate themselves exclusively to literature, although only 25% of authors receive more than 15% of annual income from literature, and on top of that, those who receive more Of 30% of income from literature, they are only 14.3%. This, according to the president of the AELC, shows that “dedication to literature does not fit with the income received”, a fact that he sees with great “concern”. Portell has specified that currently literary activities include, in addition to copyright, collaborations in the media, participation in activities such as reading clubs, conferences, or also specifically literary teachings, although he also wanted to indicate that Up to 21% of authors do not charge to participate in literary events and festivals.
The AELC is about to approve precisely a code of good practices on literary activities, which for Portell “may seem like a toast to the sun, but it works”, and gives as an example the impact that the circular of good practices had on literary awards . In any case, Portell has explained that its “objective as an association is to work so that all those who want to dedicate themselves to the profession in Catalan can do so, but we are very far from achieving it”, and has also explained that although 66.8% of respondents have this aspiration, there are also quite a few writers or translators who “have made the political and conscious decision of not wanting to depend on the profession of writing and translation, which is a valid option.”
Another highlight, for Portell, is that although 63% of partners always or almost always sign a contract to publish, there are 8% of authors surveyed who have not signed one.
The study also focuses on aspects that allow us to better understand the profile of writers and translators in Catalan, such as discovering that the short story is the genre that has been worked on the most (62.4%), followed by the novel (56.1% ) and poetry (53.1%).
The increase in the internationalization of Catalan literature also stands out, since 41.6% of the authors have been translated into another language, and of these, 81.3% into Spanish, and around 30% into English. or to French.
Portell has assured that from now on every four years a study of these characteristics will be carried out to be able to see the evolution with the previous ones, which were carried out in 2007 and 2014.
The president of the AELC has not been able to avoid questions about the non-payments of the Enciclopèdia Group, about which he has explained that a few months ago there were fifteen people affected that were reduced to three, but that “in recent weeks we have a dozen of more authors, who have joined for a request, for which we are very close to taking legal measures.”
Catalan version, here
