The poet Anna Gual has been selected to take part in the Château de Lavigny International Writers' Residence in Switzerland from 23 July to 19 August. This will mark the second occasion on which a Catalan writer has resided at this residence, established in 1996 by Jane Ledig-Rowohlt in honor of her late husband Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt, a German publisher, with the aim of fostering an international community of literary creators. Manresa-based author Cristina Massanés stayed there last year. Since its creation, the Chateau de Lavigny has hosted over 600 writers.
Writer Andrea Genovart and playwright Sergi Pompermayer have been chosen to stay at the Art Omi residence in New York (United States), which lasts almost a month. Genovart will be there from 5 September to 2 October, and Pompermayer, from October 10 to November 6.
The Art Omi: Writers programme welcomes authors and translators from all over the world. The residency's international character provides visibility for a wide range of literary voices, reflecting the institution's commitment to cultural exchange an essential element of its mission. The programme features a weekly itinerary of visits with the New York publishing community, during which participants establish contacts with publishers, agents, and literary scouts.
Genovart and Pomermayer join a long list of Catalan authors who have participated in Art Omi over the last 14 years: Gemma Gorga, Francesc Serés, Marc Pastor, Anna Ballbona, Albert Forns, Sebastià Alzamora, Marina Espasa, Anna Aguilar-Amat, Mònica Batet, Marta Carnicero, Sebastià Portell, Martí Domínguez, Núria Perpinyà, Irene Solà, Monika Zgustova, Jordi Cabré, Max Besora, Pol Guasch and Arià Paco.
These authors were selected after a public call. Each residence's team made its choice with the support of Institut Ramon Llull.
Anna Gual (Vilafranca del Penedès, 1986) is a poet. She has published Implosions (2008), L’eser solar (2013), Símbol 47 (2015), Molsa (2016), El tubercle (2016), Altres semideus (2019), Ameba (2020) and Les ocultacions (2022). Her books have won several awards: the Pare Colom Prize for Poetry 2013, the Bernat Vidal i Tomàs Prize 2016, the Senyoriu Ausiàs March Prize 2016, the Cadaqués Prize for Rosa Leveroni 2019 and the Miquel de Palol Prize 2022. In the 2021-2022 season, she was guest poet at the Palau de la Música Catalana. Entire collections of her poems have been translated into Spanish, French and Italian, and poems have been translated into a dozen languages in various publications. During her career, she has participated in literary festivals and poetic translation seminars in England, France, Italy, Croatia, Russia, and Slovenia. Themes such as nature, the body, mysticism, and writing are consistently present in her work.
Andrea Genovart (Barcelona, 1993) has a degree in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature from the University of Barcelona and a master's degree in Cultural Management. Her debut novel, Preferential Consumption, received the 2023 Anagram of Novel Books Award. The book has been translated into Spanish.
Sergi Pompermayer, born in Barcelona in 1967, holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from UAB, and is also an accomplished playwright and screenwriter. His debut publication, Zowie, won the XXV Premio de Teatre Ciutat d’Alcoi award and was first staged at Teatre Lliure in 1997 under the direction of Lluís Homar. Other premièred works are Refugiats, Llum de Guàrdia, Oddi, New Order, Sacrifici, Ossos, Blues, Bouvetøya (la necessitat d’una illa) o Amèrica. He has also written texts for Timon D'Atenes de W. Shakespeare, Dom Joan and El Misantrop de Molière, Carrer Robadors by Mathias Enard (Max Award for Best Adaptation) and Instructions for Becoming a Fascist by Michela Murgia. He has worked as a writer in radio and television.
