Carles Soldevila (Barcelona 1892-1967). Writer, journalist and cultural promoter.

He begun his literary career with the compilation of poems Lletanies profanes (1913), but immediately afterwards he abandoned poetry to dedicate himself, with great success, to theatre, novel and narrative. He undertook a campaign to educate, modernize and catalanize the Barcelonian bourgeoisie, an intention evident in his whole work. Among his novels, one could highlight the trilogy consisting of Fanny (1929), his most acclaimed novel; Eva (1931) and Valentina (1933), which was awarded the Crexells. As a playwright, he enhanced the Catalan theatre scene with innovative bourgeoisie comedies, of lively and intelligent dialogues. Civilitzats, tanmateix! (1921) is probably his most representative play, but he also had great success with plays such as Els milions de l'oncle (1927), Bola de neu (1927), Un pare de família (1932) and Necessitem senyoreta (1935), among others.

He ran the magazine D'Ací i d'Allà (1924-1936) and collaborated with the newspaper La Publicitat, with the section "Full de dietari" which made him famous, as well as in other major newspapers in Barcelona. He was one of the founders of the "Conferentia Club". He published several books geered towards the general public, such as L'home ben educat (1926) and La dona ben educada (1927), and translated into Catalan works by Voltaire, Charles Vildrac, Anatole France and Owen Johnson, among others.

The onset of the Francoist dictatorship ended his brilliant career. However, he completed a second trilogy, consisting of Moment musical (1936), Bob és a París (1952) and Papers de família (1960), and published the book of memoirs Del llum de gas al llum elèctric (1951). He also wrote books by assignment in Spanish and he collaborated with the press. The year of his death Selecta editorial published his whole works.



Page by Josep Miàs for the AELC.
Pòrtic photograph: Portrait from 1930, at the "Fons Gabriel Casas i Galobardes", property of the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya (ANC).