OLIVER, MARIA ANTONIA

Maria Antònia Oliver was born in Manacor (Mallorca) in 1946. With only twenty-three years old, she started writing literature with Cròniques d’un mig estiu, published the 1970 in Barcelona, a book that Llorenç Villalonga described as “a little masterpiece”.

Once in Barcelona, the writer was part of the avant-garde literary movements, and together with other writers she composed the Literary Generation of 70. It was in Barcelona where Maria Antònia Oliver published most of her works. However, she has always been linked to Mallorca. As she says, “to me, living is writing and writing is living”.

She worked in the media and was responsible of the Literary Production of the Catalan Cultural Congress (Barcelona, 1977). Maria Antònia also worked as a translator and her excellent translation of Moby Dick needs to be mentioned, which was awarded the Best Catalan Translation (1985).

In 1991, the writer was awarded the Prudenci Prize in Barcelona for Joana E and the Institution of “Lletres Catalanes” proposed Maria Antònia to be the “Writer of the month”, fact that allowed her to travel around Catalonia for a month and get to know her readers.

In 1994, she was also awarded Llorenç Villalonga prize for Amor de Cans and she started a new book that would take her years to finish, Tallats de Lluna (2000).

Finally, in 2007 she received “la Creu de Sant Jordi” and in 2016, the Honor Prize from “Lletres Catalanes” as a recognition of her trajectory.

AWARDS:

• Premi Recull-Francesc Puig i Llensa de narració(1971): Muller qui cerca espill, les mans s’hi talla.
• Premi de Literatura Catalana de la Generalitat de Catalunyade traducció al català (1985): Moby Dick de Herman Melville.
• Premi Prudenci Bertrana(1991): Joana E.
• Premi Ciutat de Palma de Novel.la Llorenç Villalonga(1994): Amor de cans.
• Premi Trajectòria de la Setmana del Llibre en Català(2001)
• Premi Ramon Llull del Govern Balear(2003)
• Premi Jaume Fuster dels Escriptors en LLengua Catalana(2004).
• Creu de Sant Jordi(2007).
• Premi d’Honor de les Lletres Catalanes(2016).