0 Marta Pcssarrodona i Artigas This edition: The Anglo-Catalan Society Produced and typeset by Hallamshire Publications Ltd, Porthrnadog VIRGINIA WOOLF IN THE MIDLANDS This is the sixth in the rcgular scrics of Icctures convened by The Anglo-Catalan Society, to be delivered at its annual confcrcnce, in commemoration of the figure of Joan Lluis Gili i Serra (1907-l998), foundcr member of thc Socicty rind Honorary Life Prcsident I must confess that when, last spring. Alan Yates contacted me with the invitation to from 1979. The object of publication is to ensurc widcr diffusion, in English, for an deliver today's lecture, my first, instinctive impulse welled up from a Judaco-Christian address to the Socicty given by a distinguished figurc of Catalan letters whose spccialisni coincides with an aspect of thc multiple intcrcsts and achicvcnicnts of Joan Gili, as schola~; upbringing and, to myself, I intoned an act ofcontrition: 'I am not worthy, Lord.'Also, bibliophile and translator. This lccture was given by Marta Pessarrodona at Quecn Mary I associated the emotion I felt with another from a few years earlier, when I saw from College, University of London, on 15 November 2003. an aeroplane the famous wall of China. A vision which provided me not only with the Translation of the text of the lecture and general editing of the publication wcrc tlie real image, the Great Wall. but also with that of a Catalan girl from an inland cotuorca responsibility of Alan Yates. We are gratcful to Marta Pessarrodona herself for prompt - from a town known as the Catalan Manchester, Termssa, in the Vallks Occidental, and sympathetic collaboration. Thanks are also due to Pauline Clirnpson and Jenny Saylcs where I was born: an image of me in the dreadful 1940s, at the agc of three, at my for effective guidancc throughout tlie editing and production stages. Grateful acknowledgement is madc of sponsorship of The Annual Joan Gili Memorial primary school, with just two classrooms, where I had seen for the first time maps of Lecturcs provided by thc Institut Ramon Llull, and of the grant toward? publ~cationcosts places as remote, for me. as China. Could I have imagined in the Autumn of 1972 or received from the Fundaci6 Congrds de Cultura Catalana. of 1973, when I attended those years' meetings ofThe Anglo-Catalan Socicty, that one day I would be invited to give a talk there and. even morc unlikely, to give the Annual The author Joan Gili Mernorial Lecture? You can be sure that the answcr is 'no', just as the little Marta Pessarrodona (Tcrrassa, Valles Occidental, 1941) is lirst and foremost a poet, girl that I was never imagined cither that I would ever be a 'heroine', bccause the although she also writes essays, biography, short stories and theatre scripts. She sustains Chincse say. with customary pedantry, that everyone who has set foot on the the Grcat a large output in the PI-cssas well as in radio and television broadcasts, and is in dcmancl Wall is a hero, or in my case a heroine, for I have set foot there. internationally as a lecturer. Translation is a parallel of creative literature for her. She studied History at Barcelona University (to little avail, she claims), and was lectora in Now a note in which sadncss and joy combine. Vcry shortly after thc death of Spanish at Nottingham University (1 972-74), then fellow of the Goethe Institute in Berlin the writer Joan Perucho (1920-2003), just before I sct off on my journey here, I in 1984 and 1987. She was curator of the exhibition El Gr11pde Blootrishury (Barcelona recalled with a mixture of pain and affection that it was precisely Perucho who 1986) and coordinator of thc Catalan government's Comissi6 Intcrnacional per a la Difi~sid introduced me to Joan Gili and his wife. I don't know whether Elizabeth, who I am de la Cultura Catalana (1987-96). She was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi in 1997. pleased to see with us today, will remember this. It was during the summer of 1967, Marta Pessarrodona's most recent book of poems is L'nmor (1 Bar.celonn (1998), following the short stories Ever Mom. Ficciotrs (1 994). With Pilar Aymerich she produced I think, on the beach of Sant Salvador, in front of the house of Pau Casals, nowadays a photo-biography of Merch Rodoreda, published by the Institut Catalh de la Dona in the museum dedicated to the great musician. Curiously, this was just a few days 2002. For the thcatre her El segle rle les clor~eshad its debut at the Gran Teatre del Liccu m before I set off for my first stay in this city, London, which I always think of as mine, in 2003. Recent translations by Marta Pcssarrodona includc Susan Sontag, Clrp a AnrPt.ica a place to which I do not return. but rather always come, or go. Both Joan Gili and (2002) and Duvatlt (lelclolor clels oltres (2003) as well as Sinione de Beauvoir's Ln rlor~cr Joan Perucho now livc on in those of us who loved them and who, as they surcly tretzcoclo (2002). She has been editor of the collection Mujeres vicrjeros for the publishers did. see life as an alternation of suffering and dancing, do1 i clonstr, according to the Plaza & Jan&, where her own translated anthology, with introduction, of essays by Virginia Woolf, Vinjes y viojeros, appeared in 2002. poet Josep Carner. She is pleased to be a friend to all her friends, who rate highly her culinary skills, and After this prelude, with its hints of the note struck in clandestine gatherings held she plays a civilized game of tennis and golf. Her dogs claim a special place in hcr affections. during the Franco years, I want to explain straight away the title and content of my 0 Marta Pcssarrodona i Artigas This edition: The Anglo-Catalan Society Produced and typeset by Hallamshire Publications Ltd, Porthniadog VIRGINIA WOOLF IN THE MIDLANDS This is the sixth in the regular series of lectures convened by The Anglo-Catalan Society, to be delivered at its annual conference, in comnemoration of the figure of Joan Lluis Gili i Serra (1907-1998), founder rneniber of the Society and Honorary Life President I niiist confess that when, last spring. Alan Yates contacted me with the invitation to from 1979. The object of publication is to ensure wider diffusion, in English, for an deliver today's lecture, my first, instinctive impulse welled up from a Judaeo-Christian address to the Society given by a distingi~ishedfigure of Catalan letters whose specialism 7 coincides with an aspect of the multiple interests and achievements of Joan Gili, as scholar, ~~pbringingand, to myself, I intoned an act of contrition: 'I am not worthy, Lord.'Also, bibliophile and translator. This lecture was given by Marta Pessarrodona at Queen Mary I associated the emotion I felt with another from a few years earlier, when I saw from College, University of London, on 15 Novembcr 2003. I an aeroplane the famous wall of China. A vision which provided me not only with the Translation of the text of the lecture and general editing of the publication were the real image. the Great Wall, but also with that of aCatalan girl from an inland cor~inrTa responsibility of Alan Yates. We are grateful to Marta Pessarrodona herself for pro~iipt - from a town known as the Catalan Manchester, Termssa, in the Vall2s Occidental, and sympathetic collaboration. Thanks are also due to Pauline Cli~iipsonand Jenny Sayles where I was born: an image of me in the dreadful 1940s. at the age of three, at my for effective guidance throughout the editing and production stages. Grateful acknowledgement is made of sporisorship of The Annual Joan Gili Memorial primary school, with just two classrooms, where I had seen for the first time maps of Lectures provided by the Institut Ranion Llull, and of the grant towards publication costs places as remote, for me, as China. Could I have imagined in the Autumn of 1972 or received from the Fundacid CongrCs de Cultura Catalana. of 1973, when I attended those years' meetings ofThe Anglo-Catalan Society, that one day I would be invited to give a talk there and. even more unlikely, to give the Annual The author Joan Gili Memorial Lecture? You can be sure that the answer is 'no', just as the little Marta Pessarrodona (Terrassa, Vallks Occidental, 1941) is first and forelnost a poet, girl that I was never imagined either that I would ever be a 'heroine', because the although she also writes essays, biography, short stories and theatre scripts. She sustains Chinese say. with customary pedant~y.that everyone who has set foot on the the Great a large output in the press as well as in radio and television broadcasts, and is in demand Wall is a hero, or in my case a heroine, for I have set foot there. internationally as a lecturer. Translation is a parallel of creative literature for her. She studied History at Barcelona University (to little avail, she claims), and was lectora in Now a note in which sadness and joy combine. Very shortly after the death of Spanish at Nottingha~nUniversity (1972-74), then fellow of the Goethe Institute in Berlin the writer Joan Perucho (1920-2003). just before I set off on my journey here, I in 1984 and 1987. She was curator of the exhibition El Grlrp cle Bloor7lsbiirj. (Barcelona recalled with a mixture of pain and affection that it was precisely Perucho who 1986) and coordinator of the Catalan government's Comissid Internacional per a la Difusi6 introduced me to Joan Gili and his wife.