Catalan Studies

Toni was responsible for setting up Catalan studies at Bristol University in 1965, as was recalled on the 50th anniversary by Dr Sally-Ann Kitts.

He introduced many students to the poetry and plays of Joan Oliver/Pere Quart and wrote articles and books on his works. He was also a close friend of Joan and his wife, Eulàlia.

Toni, Eulàlia and Joan in Taradell in 1983

He was in contact with Miquel Martí i Pol for many years and invited him to the University of Bristol in March 1987, where he gave a lecture entitled Algunes consideracions sobre experiència i poesia. Text here. The photos below show Toni and Phil Polack, English translator of Martí i Pol's Cinc esgrafiats a la mateixa paret, introducing and reading the English version of his lecture.

Montserrat Sans, Toni, Judith Willis and Miquel Martí i Pol in Bristol

He participated in many Catalan activities in the UK, including those organized by the Anglo-Catalan Society.

This photo below shows the dinner at the launch of the Hayward Gallery's Homage to Barcelona exhibition in London in 1985. Others around the table include Nissa Torrents, Àlex Susanna and Francesc Parcerisas.

He directed Amanda Bath's doctoral thesis on Pere Calders.

Thanks to Toni, many Catalan writers came to Bristol University as lectors of Catalan and/or Spanish, including Francesc Parcerisas, Montserrat Roig and Víctor Obiols.