Núria Prats wins the 9th Giovanni Pontiero Prize for Translation

Translator Núria Prats Espar (1968) became the winner of the ninth edition of the Giovanni Pontiero Prize for Translation, held yearly by the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting and the Centro de Língua Portuguera / Instituto Camões de Barcelona in honour of the great translator Giovanni Pontiero (Glasgow 1932 - Manchester 1996). The work with which she won the prize was the book by Nobel laureate José Saramago, A Viagem do Elefante (published in Catalan under the title "El viatge de l'elefant" by Edicions 62, 2008).

05/05/2009

Núria Prats holds a degree in Catalan Studies from UAB and is an expert in the language, history and culture of Portugal and Brazil. She has translated into Catalan works by Antonio Tabucchi, Mia Couto and several novels by José Saramago such as Cadernos de Lanzarote, Blindness, O caderno and many more works of prose. Prats also has translated poems by Elisa Lucinda and Manoel de Barros and books for young people written by Bernardo Atxaga, Manuel Rivas and Jordi Sierra i Fabra.

The awarding of the prize took place at the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting on 5 May and was presided by Francesc Parcerisas, the Dean of the Faculty, and by Bonaventura Bassegoda, Vice-Rector for Social and Cultural Transfer. Several members of the "Amics de Giovanni Pontiero" association also attended the ceremony, such as professors Pilar Orero, Marcel Ortín, Joan Sellent and Joan Torruella, all of whom had studied under Giovanni Pontiero.

In his speech, lecturer Joan Sellent offered a detailed account of Pontiero's life and added a touch of fine humour while he explained his experiences during his stay at University of Manchester and his meetings with half Italian, half Scottish translator Giovanni Pontiero. Professor Sellent spoke of his multiculturalism and defined Pontiero as a peculiar yet not eccentric man.

This year six Catalan translations of works written in Portuguese were competing for the Giovanni Pontiero Prize for Translation, one of the most important translation prizes awarded in Spain. On odd years the award goes to the Catalan translation of a literary work written originally in Portuguese and published during the two-year period prior to when it is included in the translation competition. On even years the award goes to the Spanish translation of a literary work written originally in Portuguese.