Víctor Català is the pseudonym of Caterina Albert i Paradís (L'Escala --in the Upper Empordà region-- 1869 - 1966), novelist, narrative writer, playwright and poet. She was self-taught and moved in the literary realm of naturalism which prevailed when she began to write, though she declared herself in favour of an "unbridled eclecticism". Although her early efforts were devoted to poetry and theatre, what she really excelled in was prose in which she was to have a decisive influence on the evolution of 20th century Catalan narrative. Her prose works evolved through four stages. The first includes three collections of stories "Drames rurals" (Rural Dramas) of 1902, "Ombrívoles" (Shades) in 1904, "Caires vius" (Sharp Edges) in 1907 and then the novel "Solitud" of 1905, which is regarded as her masterpiece.

The second stage consists of a novel "Un film (3.000 metres)" in 1919, and the collection of stories in "La mare ballena" (Mother Whale) in 1920, while in the third stage we find the collections of stories "Marines" (1928) and "Contrallums" (Views Against the Light) in 1930, one of her best collections. The fourth and final stage includes "La vida mòlta" (Life Worn Out) of 1949 and "Jubileu" (Jubilee) of 1951. The "Víctor Català Prize for stories or narrative pieces was established in 1953 in homage to the writer.



Documentation: Xavier Gual
Up-date: Xulio Ricardo Trigo, Lluïsa Julià and Nausica Solà.
Photographs: Arxiu-Museu Clos del Pastor, L'Escala.
Translation: Julie Wark.