Sebastià Juan Arbó


Sebastià Juan Arbó was a Spanish novelist and playwright. He wrote in Catalan and Spanish. He was born in Sant Carles de la Ràpita on October 28, 1902, and died in Barcelona on January 2, 1984. His work includes novels, drama, biographies and translations. He was an honorary member of the Association of Writers in the Catalan Language. In 1948 he won the Premio Nadal.

Early life

Born into a peasant family, at age eight Juan moved with his parents to Amposta, and at twelve and worked in an office. In 1927 he went to Barcelona, where he began his writing career as a journalist for La Vanguardia and ABC, as well as on various editorials.

Career

In 1931 Juan published his first novel, L'inútil combat.
In 1932 he published Terres de l'Ebre, his best known work, a novel that describes the situation of the peasants of the Ebro delta, forgotten and humble, working in a hard and thankless land, subject to the fatalities. The novel transforms their personal and community experiences into fiction. In 1933 he published Notes d'un estudiant que va morir boig and in 1935 Boig Camins de nit.
After the Civil War he stopped publishing until, in 1947, he released Tino Costa, with versions in Catalan and Spanish. In 1946 he had, however, published, a biography: Cervantes.
From 1948 he wrote works in Spanish such as Sobre las piedras grises which won the Nadal Prize for novel, and especially Martin Masks. In his later years he returned to publishing in Catalan: Narracions d'Delta, L'espera and La Masia.
Juan died on January 2, 1984, of a heart attack.

Works

Novels