The Launch of The Book of Barcelona (VV.AA., Comma Press). The Norhern Short Story Festival
Comma Press & The Northern Short Story Festival in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester and Leeds present the launch of Comma's latest 'Reading the City' anthology, The Book of Barcelona.
From the boy who won't stop growing in the working-class Guineueta neighbourhood on the outskirts of Barcelona, to the woman returning to Barcelona after living for some years in London, this anthology explores the city of Barcelona from a myriad of perspectives.
In this new addition to Comma's Reading the City series, ten stories about Barcelona by ten of its most prominent authors are translated from both Catalan and Spanish into English for the first time.
Join us for this special virtual launch event, where co-editor Zoe Turner wil be in conversation with two of the contributing authors, the award-winning writers Carlota Gurt and Empar Moliner.
In collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester-Leeds.
About the panellists:
Empar Moliner burst onto the literary scene in 1999 with her book, L'ensenyador de pisos que odiava els mims, a collection of satirical stories demonstrating a cold, sarcastic, and sometimes shocking view of everyday obsession. Her first novel, Feli, esthéticienne, is a comic account of passion; it was awarded the prominent Josep Pla Prize in 2000. Her collection of stories, T'estimo si he begut, was awarded the most influential Catalan literary prize, the Lletra d'Or Prize, and was voted the book of the year by La Vanguardia and El Periódico magazines. She currently works as a writer and journalist.
Carlota Gurt is a professional translator with over 10 years of experience. She made her debut in fiction writing in 2019, when she won the Mercè Rodoreda Prize with the short story collection Cavalcarem tota la nit. She has also recently published her first novel, Sola. Previously she was production manager for La Fura dels Baus and the Temporada Alta Festival. She lives between Barcelona and the Baix Empordà.
Zoe Turner graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA in English Literature having developed a specific interest in contemporary poetry. She went on to complete a Masters in Film and Television: Research and Production at the University of Birmingham. Zoe has previously run workshops to encourage community engagement with short form writing, and has worked alongside organisations such as Ort Gallery and The Barber Institute of Fine Arts to create films for digital engagement. In August 2020 she joined online feminist magazine The F-Word as their fiction editor and in 2021 she became a mentor for Arts Emergency.
