Àlvar Maduell (Barcelona, 1936). Essayist, journalist, and researcher in many varied cultural developments. He also exercises as historian and linguistic.

He is doctor in philosophy and Lullian master. He was philosophy’s teacher, publisher of several magazines, head of municipal press in Granollers, editorialist of «Mundo Diario», historian of Sant Joan Despí, finder of catechism related to Josep Baborés and, after the two plagiarisms that it suffered, he vindicated its author as poet and partisan. He contributed to resize the meaning of Catalan Renaixença with the aimed and detailed register of print editions and the register of published author during the first third part of 19th C. He made the research of Ramon Llull's spirituality and defended his priority in the theological defence of Immaculate Conception. He subtitled Teologieta als Ravals de la Vida, a critical essay about celibacy. He has made interesting contributions to improve the knowledge of different authors such as Josep Morgades, Joaquim Ruyra, Salvador Espriu, Joan Coromines, Marta Noguera... He was working in the whole production of Salvat Català and, partially, in the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. He was member of the Convenció per la Independència, promoter of Televisió Catalana in periods of state monopoly and he has boosted, without subventions, the modest Col·lecció Maduixer, which has published 26 books so far, out of trade cycle. His doctoral thesis, defended in Roma, and when General Franco was still in the power and it was banned free opinion and information, discussed the fantasizing ideology of the falangist minister Gabriel Arias-Salgado about the press. He was editor of clandestine newspaper «Vida del Concili», the first published in Catalan after Civil War (1936-39). He translated The Peace Book and Path to Happiness to Catalan, two Bernard Benson's texts, with several editions in the market.

Traveller of mountains, friends of him founded the excursionist group CEAM, still in performance, which takes his name.

He is member of Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana.


Web page: Carme Ros for AELC.
Documentation: Author's personal files.
Translation: Jesús Puyuelo.
Photograph: Author's personal files.