Mercè Rodoreda Book Club Series: Session 1 — With Martha Tennent

This year, Backstory is launching a five-month Book Club series dedicated to Mercè Rodoreda, one of the most renowned Catalan writers of the 20th century. The series runs from January to May, in parallel with the CCCB exhibition Rodoreda, a forest, and is designed to introduce English-speaking readers to Rodoreda’s work through its translations.

Across five monthly sessions, we will read five key works by Rodoreda, guided by translators and scholars who have played a central role in bringing her writing into English. Each session combines close reading, contextual discussion, and open conversation, always in an accessible, non-academic format.

The series will conclude with a guided group visit to the CCCB exhibition, thanks to their support.

### 📅 Session 1 — January

### 📖 Death in Spring

Original title: La mort i la primavera
Translator: Martha Tennent
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original publication: 1986

Death in Spring is one of Mercè Rodoreda’s most radical and haunting works. Written in exile, the novel explores a closed, ritual-bound community through the eyes of a young narrator, addressing themes of violence, repression, tradition, nature, and death. Often described as one of Rodoreda’s most experimental texts, the novel stands apart from her realist works while offering profound insight into her imaginative and symbolic universe.
This session is ideal for readers encountering Rodoreda for the first time, as well as those interested in her more daring and visionary writing.

### 👤 Guest: Martha Tennent

Martha Tennent is a highly respected translator from Catalan and Spanish into English. Born in the United States, she has lived most of her life abroad and has been based in Barcelona for many years. She holds degrees in French Philology (Converse University, USA) and English Philology (University of Barcelona), and a PhD in English Philology from the University of Barcelona.

Her translation of Death in Spring was shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award, and the National Endowment for the Arts (USA) has recognised her translations of Rodoreda’s work. She has translated more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories, and is also the author of Training for the New Millennium: Pedagogies for Translation and Interpreting. Her participation offers a unique opportunity to explore Rodoreda’s work directly through the lens of translation.