Confessions and dog ears – ckecked in with Irene Solà

We introduce the authors of the 22nd ilb – with questions about writing, reading and unfinished reading. Here you can find out how the Catalan poet and novelist Irene Solà participates in the translation of her works.

Confession time: Which major classic have you started… but not
finished?
»Underworld«, by Don Delillo, but I know I will have to pick it up again at some point soon.

The age-old question: hardback or paperback? And why?
Both. It really depends on the book.

If an unpublished book was to be discovered by an author, which author would you want that to be?
Mercè Rodoreda, because I think she is great.

The essential question: bookmarks or dog ears?
Bookmarks.

Which book is on your nightstand just now?
»Jane Eyre«, by Charlotte Brontë.

Which is your favorite book store in the whole world?
I would not be able to choose. Near my hometown I really like »Foster & Wallace«.

Who was your greatest discovery of the year so far? And why?
Susanna Clarke, I loved the freedom with which she writes.

If you were allowed to read only one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Mmm, maybe »Cien años de Soledad« [One Hundred Years of Solitude] by Gabriel García Márquez.

Where do you prefer to write, and why?
Near a window. To be able to lift my head and stare outside once in a while.

Do you read your own books after they’ve been published?
No. But I do try to read the draft versions of the translations into Spanish and English [the other two languages apart from Catalan that I can read] in order to help the translators in the translation process.

We look forward to welcoming Irene Solà to the international literature festival berlin in September. In her novel »When I Sing, Mountains Dance«, which was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature in 2020, the author imaginatively and poetically tells of of life and death in a mountain village in the Pyrenees. Further information about the event can be found here. Solà will present her poetry collection »Beast« at the event 3 x 8, where three authors will each read for eight minutes in their languages and provide information about their works.