The famous translator Joaquim Mallafrè (Reus, 1941-2024), who brought to Catalan some of the great works of universal literature such as Ulysses by James Joyce or Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, by Laurence Sterne, which he reviewed a few months ago, He died at the age of 83 in Reus, the city where he was proclaimed an illustrious son and where he lived his entire life. Professor of translation at the Rovira i Virgili University, his translation of Ulysses became mythical, since despite the importance of the work it did not yet exist in Catalan.
His translations, also of Sterne or some plays by Samuel Beckett, as well as numerous children’s and young people’s books, will remain forever, as will the exciting entire reading of his Ulysses, in June 2020 in the bookstore. Calders, who finished it himself, having just arrived by train that same morning.
In an interview in La Vanguardia a few months ago, the translator recalled how José María Valverde sparked his interest in more daring literature, and how he actually started translating to learn English better. In that same conversation he explained how in the literature he liked most, challenges and linguistic play had a specific weight, and he also assumed his regret for not having written his own literary work, because at the end of the day “each one is simply made by himself.” certain things.” Even so, he had published some books, such as the collection of articles De bona llengua, de bon humor (Columna, 1994), and the essays Llengua de tribu i llengua de polis (Quaderns Crema, 1999) and Uns i altres. Literature and translation (Arola, 2016).
