Biography in English
Maria-Antònia Oliver is an author in Catalan from Manacor, the Balearic Islands. She grew up in Majorca, living the dual experience of the Franco regime's repression and the island's growing pains caused by the great influx of tourists. She married writer Jaume Fuster (1945-1998) and moved to Barcelona; she still maintains residences in both places. Active in anti-Franco movements, she became well-known as a defender of Catalan culture and a strong feminist and ecologist.
Her work shows a variety of themes, styles and tone, and can be grouped into three categories: family, mythology, and detective. Her first novel, Cròniques d'un mig estiu (Chronicles of a Half Summer, 1970), traces the coming of age of a Majorcan youth, juxtaposed with the destruction of his town by tourists and developers. Her most compelling work, Crineres de foc (Manes of Fire, 1985), encompasses the epic, family chronicle, the founding of a town, science fiction, fantasy, lyricism, and psychological and sociological studies. Her detective fiction features the female protagonist Lónia Guiu, whose sleuthing uncovers crimes against women as well as the usual adventures. Oliver's work, including plays and stories, shows a great poetic sensibility; she uses conventions of various genres without falling into clichés. In 2016, she was awarded the prestigiou prize Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes.
Her work has been translated into English, French, Galician, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
-> Page on Wikipedia here.
-> Page on the AELC Website here.
-> Page on the Catalan Pen Club Website here.
-> Page on Lletra (Catalan LIterature Online) here.