Biography in English

Bernat LESFARGAS is an Occitan author born in Bergerac, Dordogne. He has served as a teacher of Spanish in Lyon until his retirement and was part of the literary group Amics de la Lenga d’òc, with other outstanding Occitan authors such as Bernat Manciet.

An active Occitanist, he is a member of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans since its creation and of the Cercle d'Agermanament Occitano-Català. In 1975 he founded Fédérop, one of the major publishing houses for Occitan author. In 1999 he was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi in Catalonia, and later on the Prèmi Joan Bodon Prize in 2005 and the Pompeu Fabra Prize in 2010.

His poetry has played a leading role in updating the literary canon of the Occitan fiction. He has published several books, among which notably, the poetry collections, Cap de l'aiga (1952), Cor prendre (1965), Ni cort ni costièr (1970), Brageirac e autres luòcs (1993), and La Brasa e lo Fuòc brandal, (in)complete poetry (2001).

Highly knowledgeable about Spanish and Catalan literature, he has translated the works of outstanding authors such as Vicente Aleixandre, Juan Goytisolo, Mario Vargas Llosa, Ramón J. Sender, and Fernández Santos, in Spanish; and Salvador Espriu, Mercè Rodoreda, Joan Sales and Maria-Antònia Oliver, in Catalan.

Since 2006, Lesfargues' personal correspondence and bibliographic archives are being catalogued and digitalized by the Library of the Humanities of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

-> Bernat Lesfargues in the Library of the Humanities of the UAB here.

-> Author's page on visat.cat website here.