La Maraldina (Extra) - La mort i la Rodoreda

Benvingudes i benvinguts a La Meraldina, el podcast dedicat a aspectes poc coneguts o poc investigats de l'obra de l'escriptora Mercè Rodoreda.

Welcome to La Meraldina, the podcast dedicated to little-known or under-researched aspects of the work of the writer Mercè Rodoreda.

Encara que, ja ho sabeu, ja hem acabat de fa dies la primera temporada i encara ens falten molts mesos perquè comencem la segona,

Even though, as you know, we finished the first season a few days ago and we still have many months before we start the second.

hem pensat que aquest 13 d'abril havíem de fer, per força, un episodi especial, un episodi molt especial.

We thought that on this April 13 we had to make, by all means, a special episode, a very special episode.

Perquè ja ho sabeu que aquest any, aquest 2023, es commemoren, farà 40 anys de la mort de Rodoreda.

Because you already know that this year, 2023, marks the 40th anniversary of Rodoreda's death.

I és per això que en aquest capítol volem que us traslladeu i que ens traslladem a l'any 1983

And that is why in this chapter we want you to move and that we move to the year 1983.

per explicar-vos com van ser els últims dies de l'escriptora. Així doncs, comencem.

to explain how the writer's last days were. So, let’s begin.

La Meraldina és una muntanya amb un po.

The Meraldina is a mountain with a well.

De dintre seu s'entreu pols vermella i aquesta pols, barrejada amb aigua, serveix per pintar les cases del poble.

Inside it, red dust is collected, and this dust, mixed with water, is used to paint the houses of the village.

Totes les cases del poble són de color rosa. Totes, menys la del senyor.

All the houses in the village are pink. All of them, except for the gentleman's.

A la Meraldina el vent hi bufa amb molta força.

In Meraldina, the wind blows very strongly.

La Meraldina és una muntanya on s'hi va assomiar.

The Meraldina is a mountain where one goes to dream.

Som a Girona, a la Gran Via Jaume I,

We are in Girona, on Gran Via Jaume I,

a mig camí entre l'estació del tren i el riu Unyà.

halfway between the train station and the Unyà river.

A davant nostre veiem un edifici no gaire gran,

In front of us, we see a not very large building,

té una façana senyorial molt bonica,

it has a very beautiful stately facade,

amb uns carreus amples de pedra

with wide stone blocks

i amb uns pilastres que no són ben bé columnes,

and with some pillars that are not quite columns,

sinó que són com unes columnes quadrades,

but they are like square columns,

que tenen els capitells corintis.

that have Corinthian capitals.

Doncs bé, aquest edifici el van alçar

Well, this building was raised.

poc després de la Guerra Civil Espanyola, als anys 40,

shortly after the Spanish Civil War, in the 1940s,

i hi van albergar la Clínica Muñoz.

And they housed the Muñoz Clinic there.

Però no ens hem d'imaginar que estem a la postguerra,

But we shouldn't imagine that we are in the post-war period,

sinó que us volem dur una mica més endavant,

but we want to take you a little further ahead,

com us hem dit a la introducció, a la dècada dels 80.

As we told you in the introduction, in the 1980s.

I us heu d'imaginar que avui és dimecres

You have to imagine that today is Wednesday.

i falta poc per dos quarts de dues de la tarda.

It's almost one thirty in the afternoon.

Si els vianants que passen pel carrer

If the pedestrians passing by the street

es miren el camell i miren el rellotge,

they look at the camel and look at the watch,

o si els auxiliars d'infermeria

or if the nursing auxiliaries

o els facultatius que treballen a dins de la Clínica Muñoz

or the specialists who work inside the Muñoz Clinic

agafen el calendari per programar una visita

they take the calendar to schedule a visit

o per pautar un tractament,

or to schedule a treatment,

poden veure una data.

they can see a date.

Una data marcada, que és el 13 d'abril de 1983.

A marked date, which is April 13, 1983.

És primavera.

It is spring.

Doncs bé, si un d'aquests vianants que us dèiem,

Well, if one of those pedestrians that we mentioned,

d'aquests vianants que van amunt i avall

of these pedestrians that go back and forth

i creuen el carrer Gran Via Jaume I,

and they cross the Gran Via Jaume I street,

resulta que entra en un bar i agafa un diari,

he enters a bar and grabs a newspaper,

pot llegir diverses informacions d'aquest dia,

you can read various information from this day,

d'aquest 13 d'abril de l'any 1983.

of this 13th of April in the year 1983.

Per exemple, entre elles, que la pel·lícula Gandhi

For example, among them, that the movie Gandhi

ha estat la gran guanyadora de la nit dels Òscar

She has been the big winner of the Oscar night.

amb vuit premis i que fins i tot ha vençut en nombre d'estatuetes

with eight awards and even has won more statuettes

aquella pel·lícula que va ser tan i tan aclamada

that movie that was so highly acclaimed

i que va ser molt popular, que es deia E.T.

and it was very popular, it was called E.T.

d'Estivent Spivak.

of Estivent Spivak.

En aquest cas, només n'ha rebut quatre d'estatuetes.

In this case, she has only received four statuettes.

El vianant va girant pàgines i també, per exemple,

The pedestrian is turning pages and also, for example,

pot veure tant si llegeix La Vanguardia

You can see both if you read La Vanguardia.

com si llegeix altres mitjans com El Punt o com molts d'altres

as if reading other media like El Punt or many others

i pot veure la fotografia de Severiano Ballesteros

You can see the photograph of Severiano Ballesteros.

que ha guanyat per segona vegada

that has won for the second time

el campionat Masters de Golf a Atlanta.

the Masters Golf Championship in Atlanta.

El client deixa estar per un moment

The client lets it go for a moment.

el diari, després el tornarà a agafar,

the newspaper, then he will pick it up again,

però de moment vol mirar-se el menú

but for now he wants to look at the menu

perquè ha entrat en aquest bar, com que és l'hora del migdia,

because he has entered this bar, since it is noon,

per dinar.

for lunch.

I mentre espera el primer plat,

And while waiting for the first course,

potser comenta amb el cambrer alguna notícia,

maybe he discusses some news with the waiter,

alguna notícia política, perquè resulta

any political news, because it turns out

que en aquestes dates, a l'abril del 83,

that at this time, in April '83,

s'acosten les eleccions municipals

The municipal elections are approaching.

que seran el dia 8 de maig.

that will be on May 8th.

I resulta que a Girona, la ment de molts gironins

It turns out that in Girona, the mind of many Girona residents

bull amb la pregunta de la gent.

bull with the question of the people.

La pregunta de si Joaquim Nadal, el primer alcalde democràtic,

The question of whether Joaquim Nadal, the first democratic mayor,

serà una altra vegada relegit en el càrrec.

he will be re-elected to the position.

Doncs bé, si aquest client que està en aquest bar,

Well, if this client who is in this bar,

en aquesta gran via Jaume I,

on this great avenue Jaume I,

agafa el diari i llegeix l'avantguàrdia,

take the newspaper and read the avant-garde,

quan arriba a la pàgina 26,

when he/she reaches page 26,

veu que hi ha una columna titulada de la manera següent.

You see that there is a column titled as follows.

Mercè Rodoreda evolucionarà con lentitud.

Mercè Rodoreda will evolve slowly.

La primera frase del text a l'avantguàrdia deia una cosa així.

The first sentence of the text at the forefront said something like this.

«Aun cuando se mantiene en secreto el diagnóstico

"Even when the diagnosis is kept secret."

de la escritora catalana Mercè Rodoreda,

by the Catalan writer Mercè Rodoreda,

autora de La plaça del Diamant,

author of The Square of Diamonds,

internada en una clínica gerundense desde hace varios días,

hospitalized in a Girona clinic for several days,

por el doctor que la atiende,

by the doctor who attends to her,

se ha asegurado que la afección hepática que padece

it has been ensured that the liver condition he/she suffers from

no es de carácter infeccioso,

it is not infectious in nature,

pero que su evolución es larga».

"but its evolution is long."

La clínica Rodoreda

The Rodoreda clinic

Efectivament, Rodoreda era la clínica Muñoz,

Indeed, Rodoreda was the Muñoz clinic,

aquesta clínica que ens hem d'imaginar a l'altra banda

this clinic that we have to imagine on the other side

del carrer Gran Via Jaume I,

from Gran Via Jaume I street,

aquí on hi hem imaginat aquest bar,

here where we have imagined this bar,

aquest bar imaginari amb aquest diari, amb aquest client.

this imaginary bar with this newspaper, with this customer.

Doncs bé, Rodoreda hi era en aquesta clínica,

Well, Rodoreda was there in this clinic,

des del dia 28 de març,

since March 28,

o sigui, des de feia exactament 15 dies.

that is to say, exactly 15 days ago.

Es veu que l'havien hagut de traslladar

It seems that they had to transfer him/her.

des de la seva casa de Romanyà de la Selva,

from his house in Romanyà de la Selva,

ja en un estat molt feble.

already in a very weak state.

A la clínica li van fer analítiques i proves,

They did tests and analyses at the clinic.

i el dia 5 d'abril li van comunicar

And on April 5th, they informed him.

que patia una malaltia molt greu.

who was suffering from a very serious illness.

Va ser en aquest moment que es veu

It was at this moment that one sees.

que l'escriptora va entrar en un fort estat de malaltia,

that the writer fell into a severe state of illness,

de depressió.

of depression.

D'alguna manera era com si acceptés que no hi havia res a fer.

In a way, it was as if he accepted that there was nothing to be done.

Almenys això és el que va explicar en el programa de TV3

At least that's what he explained on the TV3 program.

titulat El meu avi,

titled My Grandfather,

la seva amiga i veïna de Llagostera que es deia Isabel Parés.

her friend and neighbor from Llagostera named Isabel Parés.

Aquesta amiga li va anar a fer costat a la clínica,

This friend went to support him at the clinic.

vivia a prop de la seva casa a Romanyà de la Selva,

he lived near his house in Romanyà de la Selva,

i li va anar a fer costat a la clínica

and he went to support her at the clinic

i per tant va poder adonar-se d'aquest estat de depressió

and therefore was able to realize this state of depression

en el qual va entrar a la seva casa.

in which he entered his house.

Va entrar Mercè Rodoreda quan li van dir

Mercè Rodoreda entered when they told her.

que patia una malaltia molt important.

who suffered from a very serious illness.

Però la pregunta que ens fem és

But the question we ask ourselves is

en què estava treballant Mercè Rodoreda

What was Mercè Rodoreda working on?

just abans d'anar a l'hospital?

Just before going to the hospital?

Quina era l'obra de totes totes

What was the best work of all?

la que volia acabar, la que desitjava acabar,

the one I wanted to finish, the one I wished to finish,

la que esperava acabar?

the one I was hoping to finish?

Sens dubte era La mort i la primavera.

Undoubtedly, it was Death and Spring.

La mort era el tema substancial d'aquesta novel·la

Death was the substantial theme of this novel.

tan enigmàtica, tan negra, tan fosca,

so enigmatic, so black, so dark,

que feia molts i molts anys que tenia a dintre.

that I had inside me for many, many years.

L'havia començat a escriure just una primavera,

I had started to write it just one spring,

però feia dècades, el 4 d'abril de l'any 1961.

but it was decades ago, on April 4, 1961.

Llavors, Mercè Rodoreda vivia sola a Ginebra.

Then, Mercè Rodoreda lived alone in Geneva.

El seu company, hermano Viols, ja ho sabem,

We already know about your partner, brother Viols,

havia anat a treballar a Viena,

I had gone to work in Vienna,

on feia de corrector per l'Agència Internacional

I used to be a proofreader for the International Agency.

de l'Energia Atòmica,

of Atomic Energy,

que és una agència important que depèn de les Nacions Unides.

which is an important agency that depends on the United Nations.

Ens han quedat unes quantes fotografies

We have a few photographs left.

de com era l'apartament de la Rue de Vidollí,

of how the apartment on Rue de Vidollí was,

a Ginebra, on Rodoreda va escriure les seves obres més importants.

In Geneva, where Rodoreda wrote her most important works.

Després us les descriuré, però deixeu-me dir que ara,

Later I will describe them to you, but let me say that now,

l'any 1961, ja ha acabat d'escriure, ja fa temps,

In 1961, it has already been finished writing, it has been a long time.

la colometa, de fet, l'està corregint, per dir-ho així,

the little dove is actually correcting it, so to speak,

i està pendent de la seva publicació a càrrec del Club Editor.

and is pending its publication by Club Editor.

Aquesta novel·la, la colometa,

This novel, The Pigeon,

que després passarà a ser titulada La plaça del Diamant,

which will later be titled The Diamond Square,

la va escriure just fa...

she wrote it just...

fa un any, l'any 1960,

a year ago, in 1960,

i va ser justament aquí, en aquesta mateixa habitació.

It was right here, in this very room.

El pis és un apartament d'una única peça,

The apartment is a single-room studio.

és molt ampli i molt lluminós,

it is very spacious and very bright,

i té molts llibres a les lleixes i quadres a les parets.

And she has many books on the shelves and paintings on the walls.

També hi veiem alguns gerros amb flors seques,

We also see some vases with dried flowers.

i entre els quadres, doncs, destaquen, per exemple,

And among the paintings, therefore, stand out, for example,

imatges de quadres de Joan Miró,

images of paintings by Joan Miró,

que li agradava moltíssim i que fins i tot havia pensat

that he/she liked a lot and that he/she had even thought

que Joan Miró fos qui dibuixés les imatges de les flors

that Joan Miró was the one who drew the images of the flowers

per l'obra Viatges i flors.

for the work Travels and Flowers.

Doncs bé, en aquest apartament,

Well, in this apartment,

quan Mercè Rodoreda mirava per la finestra,

when Mercè Rodoreda looked out the window,

si el dia estava molt clar,

if the day was very clear,

ella ho havia deixat dit així en alguna entrevista,

she had said so in some interview,

ho havia dit,

I had said it,

si el dia estava clar, us deia,

if the day was clear, I would tell you,

es podia veure l'acabament del Montblanc,

the end of Montblanc could be seen,

però encara es veia més clarament,

but it was still seen more clearly,

per aquests finestrals de l'apartament de Mercè Rodoreda,

through these windows of Mercè Rodoreda's apartment,

una altra muntanya.

another mountain.

Era el Selef.

It was the Selef.

Es veu que Rodoreda jugava a posar nerviosos els suïssos

It seems that Rodoreda enjoyed making the Swiss nervous.

dient-los que el Selef era lleig,

telling them that the Selef was ugly,

perquè és una muntanya que els suïssos estimaven.

because it is a mountain that the Swiss loved.

Ella mateixa això ho havia explicat en el conte Paràlisi.

She herself had explained this in the story Paralysis.

Doncs bé, en aquesta cambra amb vistes,

Well then, in this room with views,

aquesta cambra bonica,

this beautiful room,

és on Rodoreda comença,

it is where Rodoreda begins,

comença a escriure La Mort i la Primavera.

It begins to write The Death and the Spring.

El començament de tot tenia forma de conte.

The beginning of it all took the shape of a tale.

I es deia Ombres de Primavera.

And it was called Shadows of Spring.

No es deia La Mort i la Primavera,

It was not called The Death and the Spring,

es deia Ombres de Primavera.

It was called Shadows of Spring.

Sabem que al cap de poc temps ja li va canviar el títol,

We know that shortly after, the title was changed.

perquè quan la presenta el Premi Sant Jordi,

because when the Sant Jordi Prize is presented,

que la va presentar el Premi Sant Jordi,

that presented her with the Sant Jordi Prize,

i com sabem, no l'hi van donar,

And as we know, they didn't give it to him.

doncs llavors ja tenia el títol nou.

So then I already had the new title.

I ho sabem perquè hi ha una crònica a l'Avanguardia

We know it because there is a chronicle in La Vanguardia.

on s'explica cada novel·la amb el seu escriptor corresponent,

where each novel is explained with its corresponding author,

doncs quanta puntuació,

so how much punctuation,

tenien justament la nit de Santa Llúcia,

they had just the night of Santa Llúcia,

que com sabem, és quan es donen,

as we know, it is when they are given,

es concedeixen els Premis Sant Jordi, no?

The Sant Jordi Awards are given, right?

Doncs bé, sabem que al començament de tot,

Well, we know that at the beginning of everything,

aquella primavera de l'any 61,

that spring of the year 61,

es deia Ombres de Primavera,

it was called Shadows of Spring,

però que a la tardor ja li havia canviat el nom

but that in autumn it had already changed its name

i es deia La Mort i la Primavera.

And it was called Death and Spring.

La trama, la trama d'aquesta obra,

The plot, the plot of this work,

aquesta obra que crea en aquest apartament,

this work that he/she creates in this apartment,

transcorre en un poble molt petit,

it takes place in a very small village,

del qual no se'ns diu el nom,

of which we are not told the name,

sabem que probablement en té de nom,

we know that it probably has a name,

però no se'ns diu,

but we are not told,

és un poble de muntanya

it is a mountain village

i passa un riu pel mig.

And a river runs through the middle.

El poble està posat exactament a sobre del riu,

The village is situated right on top of the river,

de manera que els seus habitants,

so that its inhabitants,

per la nit, si no poden dormir,

at night, if they can't sleep,

escolten com el riu passa per sota

they listen as the river flows beneath

i això és important en la novel·la, no?

And this is important in the novel, right?

És un poble amb uns costums macabres

It is a village with macabre customs.

i que aparentment està aïllat de tot.

and which is apparently isolated from everything.

De fet, hi ha uns vigilants

In fact, there are some guards.

que miren que no vingui ningú, no?

make sure no one comes, right?

Perquè més enllà hi ha una població

Because beyond there is a population.

que es diuen els caramens,

what they call the caramels,

que són uns habitants

what are some inhabitants

que tenen també uns costums diferents i estranyes

that they also have different and strange customs

i hi ha aquests guaites que vigilen

And there are these lookouts that keep watch.

que els caramens no vinguin, no?

Let the caramels not come, right?

La veu que explica la història

The voice that tells the story

és una veu en primera persona.

it is a first-person voice.

És la del noi de La Mort i la Primavera

It is the one of the boy from Death and Spring.

que no se'ns diu tampoc el nom.

that we are not told the name either.

És probable que tingui aquest nom

It is likely that it has this name.

perquè bé que sabem que en el cementiri

because we know well that in the cemetery

s'escriuen els noms i les dates de la mort,

the names and dates of death are written down,

però el noi, quan fa la narració en primera persona,

but the boy, when he narrates in the first person,

no es refereix a ningú amb el seu nom.

it does not refer to anyone by their name.

Parla del pres, parla de la marastre,

Talks about the prisoner, talks about the stepmother,

però no se'ns diu res.

but we are not told anything.

També és molt important la vegetació

Vegetation is also very important.

al llarg de tota l'obra, no?

Throughout the entire work, right?

Perquè estem en temps de primavera

Because we are in springtime.

i se'ns descriu d'una manera molt minuciosa

and we are described in a very detailed manner

com la vida surt de dintre de les branques

as life comes out from within the branches

i de sota de terra,

and from underground,

gairebé com si fos Persèfona,

almost as if she were Persephone,

aquell mite que ja sabem, no?,

that myth that we already know, right?

que a Mercè Rodoreda li agradava molt la mitologia

that Mercè Rodoreda really liked mythology

i tot el que és la simbologia.

and everything that is symbolism.

Doncs jo diria que al començament de tot de l'obra

Well, I would say that at the beginning of the whole work.

podem veure gairebé Persèfona personificada,

we can see almost Persephone personified,

amb la primavera que ja va sortint

with spring that is already emerging

de dintre de les branques i de sota terra, no?

from inside the branches and from underground, right?

I la mirada i la veu d'aquest noi

And the look and the voice of this boy

és la que ens ho va descrivint tot, no?

She is the one who is describing everything to us, right?

I aquest noi es fixa, doncs, òbviament, en la mort.

And this boy notices, then, obviously, death.

Aquesta havia de ser la gran obra,

This was supposed to be the great work,

la seva gran obra.

his great work.

Rodoreda ho sabia.

Rodoreda knew it.

Sabia que seria la que tingués més misteri,

I knew it would be the one that had the most mystery.

la que seria d'interpretació,

the one that would be for interpretation,

més controvertida o més difícil,

more controversial or more difficult,

i era la que, li havia dit una vegada

and it was the one that I had told him once

al seu company, Armand Ubiols,

to his colleague, Armand Ubiols,

era la que es quedava més a dintre de la memòria del lector.

it was the one that stayed most in the reader's memory.

De fet, Ubiols, un dia per carta, li diu

In fact, Ubiols, one day in a letter, tells him.

«Després d'haver llegit fa molt poc

"After having read not long ago"

La mort i la primavera,

Death and spring.

tinc la sensació que se m'ha quedat a dintre

I have the feeling that it has stayed inside me.

com si fos un somni estrany».

"as if it were a strange dream."

De tota manera, després d'estar-se dos anys seguits escrivint,

In any case, after spending two consecutive years writing,

creant aquest univers tan especial de la mort i la primavera,

creating this very special universe of death and spring,

a Rodoreda aquesta novel·la se li va encallar.

For Rodoreda, this novel got stuck.

No sabem exactament els motius,

We don't know exactly the reasons,

però sabem que li escriu al seu editor,

but we know that he is writing to his editor,

en Joan Sales,

Joan Sales,

i li diu «He plantat la mort».

and he says to him, "I have planted death."

Això sabem que passa més o menys a l'octubre de l'any 1963

This we know happened more or less in October of the year 1963.

i que la deixa estar

and let it be

i es dedica a engegar altres novel·les,

and he/she is dedicated to starting other novels,

com per exemple en puguin ser

such as they can be

«El carrer de les camèlies»,

"The street of the camellias"

que publicarà l'any 66,

that it will be published in '66,

i després també engega,

and then it also starts,

torna a engegar, per dir-ho d'alguna forma,

starts again, so to speak,

«Mirell trencat»,

"Broken mirror"

que és una obra que ja havia començat

that it is a work that I had already started

abans i tot a la plaça del Diamant,

before everything else in the Diamond Square,

però que no acaba fins l'any 74

but it doesn't end until the year 74

i que surt a la venda

and goes on sale

i es fa molt coneguda i molt famosa

and it becomes very well-known and very famous

a partir de l'any 1975.

starting from the year 1975.

Doncs bé, mentre tot això va passant

Well, while all this is happening

en l'obra de Rodoreda,

in Rodoreda's work,

en les creacions de Rodoreda,

in the creations of Rodoreda,

en la seva vida també passen coses,

in their life things also happen,

com per exemple que la casa on

such as the house where

ella havia viscut de petita,

she had lived as a child,

aquesta casa gairebé mítica,

this almost mythical house,

amb el seu avi Pere Corguí,

with her grandfather Pere Corguí,

amb aquell jardí,

with that garden,

que li feia anar a comprar flors

that made him go buy flowers

i que era tan bonica

and she was so beautiful

i que ella tenia com gairebé

and that she had almost

idealitzada en el record

idealized in memory

i que, recordem-ho,

and let’s remember,

el seu avi havia fet construir

his grandfather had built

aquell monument estrany tot ple

that strange monument completely full

de roques dedicat

dedicated to rocks

a Jacint Verdaguer

to Jacint Verdaguer

i que l'havien inaugurat

and that they had inaugurated it.

fent venir

making come

amb un cor de cants

with a heart of songs

de claver.

of clove.

Doncs bé, aquesta casa

Well, this house

l'any 62,

the year 62,

a causa d'aquella nevada tan famosa

because of that famous snowfall

que va tenir lloc la nit de Nadal,

that took place on Christmas night,

es va ensorrar,

it collapsed,

es va ensorrar justament pel pes

it collapsed just under the weight

de la neu.

of the snow.

Si es recorren les cartes de Rodoreda

If we go through Rodoreda's cards

amb hermano Viols, però també

with brother Viols, but also

amb altres familiars,

with other relatives,

sabem que la casa

we know that the house

era un dels contenciosos

it was one of the contentious issues

o dels conflictes

or of the conflicts

que ella tenia amb la família,

that she had with the family,

perquè ella insistia que aquella casa

because she insisted that that house

no estava en condicions

I wasn't in condition.

i que s'havia de comprar alguna altra cosa.

and that something else had to be bought.

Doncs bé, l'escriptora

Well then, the writer.

certament, després que s'ensorri

certainly, after it collapses

la casa, comprarà un pis

the house, will buy an apartment

al carrer Balmes l'any 66,

on Balmes Street in '66,

65, perdoneu,

65, excuse me,

i serà justament a l'altra

and it will be right on the other side

banda del carrer Balmes, que com sabeu

band from Balmes street, as you know

el carrer Balmes, quan ella era

Balmes Street, when she was

petita era una riera

it was a small stream

i

i

amb el temps va acabar

with time it ended

sent una de les vies ràpides

being one of the fast lanes

de comunicació de la part alta

of communication from the upper part

de Barcelona amb el centre

from Barcelona with the center

de Barcelona. Doncs aquí

from Barcelona. Well, here

en aquest pis del carrer Balmes,

in this apartment on Balmes street,

el pis encara existeix i el podeu

the apartment still exists and you can

anar a veure,

go to see,

és on farà algunes

it is where it will make some

estades Mercè Rodoreda,

Mercè Rodoreda stays,

tot i que majoritàriament ella

although mainly she

als anys 60 continuarà

in the 60s it will continue

vivint a Ginebra

living in Geneva

mentre Ubiols

while Ubiols

està a Viena, i fins

it's in Vienna, and until

que ben bé l'any

how well the year

71, o mort Ubiols,

71, or death Ubiols,

doncs ella no es planteja

so she doesn't consider it

exactament una tornada cap a

exactly a return to

Catalunya,

Catalonia,

de fet encara hauran de passar uns

In fact, some time will still have to pass.

quants anys.

how many years.

Tot i així sí que és important

Nevertheless, it is important.

pensar que la mort d'Ubiols l'any

thinking that Ubiols' death in the year

71 sí que marca

71 does mark.

com un punt d'inflexió

as a turning point

en la seva vida.

in his/her life.

Ella queda afectada per la mort

She is affected by the death.

del seu company. Ha estat

of his partner. It has been

un company de vida amb el qual ha viscut

a life partner with whom he/she has lived

tot l'exili, i això fa

the whole exile, and that does

que comenci a passar algunes

let some begin to happen

temporades, de tant en tant

seasons, now and then

algunes èpoques

some periods

a Catalunya, però

in Catalonia, however

les seves estades, curiosament,

their stays, curiously,

no tenen tant

they don't have that much

lloc a la ciutat de Barcelona,

place in the city of Barcelona,

que era la seva ciutat,

that it was his city,

sinó a la serra de les Gavarres.

but to the range of the Gavarres.

Resulta que als anys

It turns out that in the years

70 ha retrobat

70 has been recovered

unes quantes amigues, de

a few friends, from

l'època de la República, una època

the era of the Republic, an era

a la República i la Guerra,

to the Republic and the War,

que havia sigut molt

that had been very

vital per Mercè Rodoreda.

vital for Mercè Rodoreda.

Havia sigut el temps

It had been the time.

en què ella havia començat a escriure,

in which she had started to write,

s'havia involucrat, havia treballat

he had become involved, he had worked

per exemple al comissariat de

for example at the police station of

propaganda i també a la institució

propaganda and also to the institution

de les lletres catalanes.

of the Catalan letters.

Aquestes amigues són la pintora

These friends are the painter.

Susina Amat,

Susina Amat,

que és la mare

what is the mother

de Nassaludes, també

of Nassaludes, too

Ester Floricurt,

Ester Floricurt,

i l'artesana,

and the artisan,

i aquest personatge serà important,

and this character will be important,

l'artesana Carme Manrubia.

the artisan Carme Manrubia.

Aquesta artesana

This artisan

l'any 1973,

the year 1973,

en el seu exili

in his exile

a l'Argentina, va fer

in Argentina, it did

molts diners i aquest any

a lot of money and this year

es pot comprar un terreny

you can buy a piece of land

molt gran a Romanyà

very big in Romanyà

de la selva, on decideix

from the jungle, where he decides

de fer-se una casa.

to build a house.

Les quatre amigues, a més a més,

The four friends, furthermore,

tenen un projecte que és

they have a project that is

anar a viure juntes,

to live together,

en aquesta casa que està construint

in this house that is being built

Carme Manrubia.

Carme Manrubia.

La mateixa Mercè Rodoreda

The same Mercè Rodoreda

va deixar dit en una entrevista

he mentioned in an interview

com va anar

how did it go

l'inici

the beginning

d'aquesta trobada

from this meeting

a Romanyà de la Selva

in Romanyà de la Selva

i va dir el següent, va dir

and said the following, he said

en refer l'amistat amb unes amigues

rebuilding the friendship with some friends

i va dir que, en aquests anys,

and said that, in these years,

va ser invitada a passar uns dies

she was invited to spend a few days

a casa seva a Romanyà de la Selva.

at his home in Romanyà de la Selva.

Com per art d'encantament,

As if by magic,

em vaig trobar al vell mig

I found myself in the middle of it all.

de moltes muntanyes dels Ines

of many mountains of the Ines

a dintre d'un xalet

inside a chalet

situat a la vora del dolmen

located by the dolmen

de Romanyà.

of Romanyà.

Eren, com hem vist,

They were, as we have seen,

quatre amigues, però a poc a poc

four friends, but little by little

el projecte acaba només reduït

the project ends only reduced

a les figures de Mercè Rodoreda

to the figures of Mercè Rodoreda

i Carme Manrubia.

and Carme Manrubia.

Elles dues dissenyen

Both of them design.

juntes el jardí

together the garden

i planten

and they plant

moltíssims rosers

very many rose bushes

que era un arbust

that it was a shrub

i unes flors

and some flowers

que li agradaven molt a Rodoreda

that Rodoreda liked very much

i també totes dues,

and also both,

i això m'ho va explicar

and this was explained to me

Mari Àngela Vilallonga,

Mari Àngela Vilallonga,

totes dues pujaven

both of them went up

a dalt de la casa

at the top of the house

i des d'aquella mena

and from that kind

per unes escales

for some stairs

gairebé de piscina

almost like a swimming pool

allà miraven les estrelles

there they looked at the stars

per la nit.

at night.

Va ser precisament en aquesta casa

It was precisely in this house.

on l'escriptora va acabar

where the writer finished

Mirell trencat

Broken mirror

i va escriure íntegrament

and wrote it entirely

la novel·la Quanta, quanta guerra

the novel How Much, How Much War

i una part de Viatges i flors

and a part of Travels and Flowers

que aquestes dues últimes obres

that these last two works

Quanta, quanta guerra

How much, how much war

i Viatges i flors

Travel and flowers

es van publicar l'any 1980.

They were published in 1980.

És en aquesta època

It is at this time.

que Rodoreda va vendre

that Rodoreda sold

els drets de la Plaça del Diamant

the rights of the Diamond Square

perquè Televisió Espanyola

because Spanish Television

i una altra productora

and another producer

en fessin una pel·lícula.

they made a movie about it.

És aquell vell projecte

It's that old project.

d'un director de cinema

of a film director

en Francesc Batriu

Francesc Batriu

que després de llegir

that after reading

la Plaça del Diamant

Diamond Square

ja de seguida va voler

he immediately wanted

portar-la al cinema

take her to the cinema

i va estar batallant i lluitant

and was battling and fighting

durant molts anys fins que

for many years until

va fer-ho amb la protagonista

he did it with the protagonist

tan recordada per molts

so well remembered by many

amb la triu de Sílvia Munt.

with the trilogy of Sílvia Munt.

Doncs bé,

Well then,

amb els diners que Rodoreda va guanyar

with the money that Rodoreda earned

d'aquests drets, dels drets de la pel·lícula

of these rights, of the rights of the movie

ella va decidir

she decided

de fer-se una casa pròpia.

of building one's own house.

Una casa al costat

A house next door.

de la casa de Carme Manrubia.

from the house of Carme Manrubia.

Aquí es va dedicar

Here it was dedicated.

a acabar l'obra

to finish the work

que havia nascut l'any 61

that had been born in the year 61

de la qual us parlava abans

of which I was speaking to you before

que és La mort i la primavera

What is Death and Spring?

que havia de ser

what had to be

la seva novel·la més negra.

her darkest novel.

La mort i la primavera

Death and Spring

amb aquell univers tan estrany

with that strange universe

amb un noi de 14 anys

with a 14-year-old boy

que va nedant

that is swimming

pel riu

by the river

i que explica tot el que veu

and that explains everything it sees

tot el que recorda.

everything that he/she remembers.

Doncs aquesta era la novel·la

So this was the novel.

que Rodoreda tenia en ment

that Rodoreda had in mind

tenia present

I had present.

de finalitzar

to finish

després

after

d'acabar d'escriure

just finished writing

quanta quanta guerra i viatges i flors.

how much war and travels and flowers.

L'any 83

The year 83

una de les seves

one of his/her/their

motivacions era

motivations were

acabar La mort i la primavera.

Finish The Death and the Spring.

Si us sembla

If you agree.

sentim el començament

we feel the beginning

portem al començament

let's take it to the beginning

d'aquesta novel·la.

of this novel.

Aleshores

Then

em vaig treure la roba

I took off my clothes.

la vaig deixar al peu d'un arbre

I left her at the foot of a tree.

i abans de ficar-me l'aigua

and before putting the water in me

vaig mirar el color que el sol hi posava

I looked at the color that the sun was putting on it.

i el color que el cel hi deixava

and the color that the sky left there

i tota la llum era diferent

And all the light was different.

perquè ja havia començat

because it had already started

la primavera

the spring

que naixia altra vegada i sempre

that was born again and always

després de viure

after living

sota de la terra

under the ground

de les franques.

of the Franques.

Vaig ficar-me

I got involved.

a l'aigua a poc a poc.

in the water little by little.

Havia buscat la part

I had looked for the part.

més ampla del riu

wider than the river

allà on feia colze

there where it was elbowing

i semblava una ala mig plegada

and it looked like a half-folded wing

de blau.

of blue.

Quieta i tranquil·la

Still and calm.

l'aigua passava tota arrossegada

The water was flowing all swept away.

per ella mateixa

for herself

per aquell pes que li venia

for that weight that was coming to him

de les muntanyes, de la neu

of the mountains, of the snow

i de les fonts que fugien

and of the fleeing springs

per escapar-se de l'ombra

to escape from the shadow

i tota l'aigua

and all the water

ajuntada pel seu deliri

joined by her delirium

de juntar-se feia el riu.

of joining together made the river.

I vaig pensar

I thought

que nedant

that swimming

enganyaria l'abella

I would deceive the bee.

que venia des del poble

that was coming from the village

des de les glicines

from the wisterias

voltant al meu darrere

around my back

entre la terra i l'aire

between the earth and the air

vestida de sol.

dressed in the sun.

La mort i la primavera

Death and Spring

Deixeu-me dir

Let me tell you

que no he agafat cap de les edicions

that I haven't taken any of the editions

publicades fins ara

published so far

perquè com sabeu

because as you know

la mort i la primavera

death and spring

és una novel·la

it is a novel

que Mercè Rodoreda

that Mercè Rodoreda

no va poder acabar

he could not finish

perquè, com sabem, va morir

because, as we know, he/she died

i se n'han fet moltes d'edicions

Many editions have been made of it.

per exemple la de Carme Arnau

for example that of Carme Arnau

però el que us deia

but what I was telling you

que no he agafat cap

that I haven't taken any

de les edicions que hi ha

of the editions that exist

perquè

because

tenim, conservem

we have, we preserve

tots els esborranys

all the drafts

que Mercè Rodoreda va guardar

that Mercè Rodoreda kept

que no són tots

that they are not all

però que són molt importants

but they are very important

són 700 pàgines

there are 700 pages

els he pogut consultar

I have been able to consult them.

i he agafat un dels inicis

I have taken one of the beginnings.

perquè es vegi

so that it can be seen

que hi ha moltes opcions

that there are many options

doncs aquest era el començament

so this was the beginning

d'una de les versions

of one of the versions

o de les reelaboracions

or of the reworkings

si es vol dir així

if you want to put it that way

del començament de la mort i la primavera

from the beginning of death and spring

en una carta

in a letter

de Mercè Rodoreda

by Mercè Rodoreda

a la seva editora en castellà

to her Spanish editor

que és l'escriptora Marta Pécer Rodora

who is the writer Marta Pécer Rodora

l'any 1982

the year 1982

quan es va estrenar

when it premiered

la pel·lícula

the movie

de la plaça del diamant

from the diamond square

li va dir que estava molt cansada

She told him that she was very tired.

que

that

anava molt a poc a poc

he was going very slowly

i que amb la novel·la

and with the novel

de la mort i la primavera

of death and spring

li estava apostant

I was betting on him/her.

però tot i així li va dir

but still he told her

he passat a net 25 pàgines

I have typed up 25 pages.

i llavors

and then

especifica que

specify that

quan diu he passat a net

when it says I have transcribed it cleanly

vol dir que les ha deixat enllestides

It means that he/she has left them ready.

o sigui que gairebé

so it's almost

ja donava aquelles 25 pàgines

I was already giving those 25 pages.

perfectes

perfects

però molt poc després d'aquesta carta

but very shortly after this letter

Rodoreda es comença a trobar

Rodoreda begins to feel better.

molt malament

very bad

i es deixa d'esofagitis

and it is no longer esophagitis

o sigui com si

like as if

tingués agró

had egret

a l'esòfag

to the esophagus

i diu també en les cartes

and it also says in the letters.

que té anèmia

that has anemia

sabem que l'últim Nadal

we know that last Christmas

el Nadal de l'any 1982

Christmas of the year 1982

el va passar a Barcelona

he passed it in Barcelona

i que va aprofitar per anar al metge

and took the opportunity to go to the doctor.

que no hi havia manera d'acabar

that there was no way to finish

de refer-se

to refer to

i va ser el març

it was March

que va tornar a Romanyà de la Selva

that returned to Romanyà de la Selva

que no s'aguantava més

that couldn't hold on any longer

no es trobava bé

was not feeling well

i la van traslladar a la Clínica Muñoz

and they transferred her to the Muñoz Clinic.

de Girona

from Girona

al cap de 15 dies

after 15 days

un 13 d'abril de l'any 1983

April 13, 1983

va morir

he died

acompanyada de Carme Manriu Rubia

accompanied by Carme Manriu Rubia

de la seva nora

of his daughter-in-law

Margarita

Daisy

i dels seus editors

and of its editors

Joan Sales i Marta Pesarrodona

Joan Sales and Marta Pesarrodona

i els seus amics

and their friends

Aquest és el nostre homenatge

This is our tribute.

avui a Mercè Rodoreda

today at Mercè Rodoreda

avui que fa 40 anys

today it is 40 years since

que va deixar de viure

that stopped living

en aquesta Clínica Girona

in this Clinic Girona

hem mirat de reproduir

we have tried to reproduce

quin era l'ambient

what was the atmosphere

quines eren les accions

what were the actions

les persones que l'envoltaven

the people surrounding her

en aquella època

in that time

en aquells anys en els que es va trobar malament

in those years when he/she was unwell

i que malauradament

and unfortunately

no va acabar de concloure

did not come to a conclusion

la mort i la primavera

death and spring

tot i així el seu llegat

nevertheless, his legacy

és tan gran

it's so big

i sempre que t'hi aboques

and whenever you pour yourself into it

que t'aboques als seus contes

that you immerse yourself in their stories

que t'aboques a les seves novel·les

that you immerse yourself in their novels

és com si les llegissis

it's like reading them

una altra vegada de cap i de nou

once again from head to toe

per primera vegada

for the first time

doncs per això

well, that's why

i perquè ens agrada moltíssim llegir-la

and because we really love to read it

i perquè fa brillar

and because it makes shine

la nostra llengua

our language

avui hem parlat de la mort

today we talked about death

i Mercè Rodoreda

and Mercè Rodoreda

doncs vegem la llengua

so let's see the language

que ens va estar parlant

that was talking to us

a partir d'aquell moment

from that moment on

que ja para de ser

that it no longer stops being

la llengua de la mort

the language of death

que ara es tradueix per

that is now translated as

Descobrir la mort

Discovering death

en un llibre

in a book

de Mercè Rodoreda

by Mercè Rodoreda

encàrtem-lo

place the order for us

com elarsi

like the elarsi

el seu abans

his/her before

que no estigués

that was not

L'Ameraldina és una muntanya coberta de brugueres.

The Ameraldina is a mountain covered with heather.

El vent que hi bufa porta ànimes.

The wind that blows there carries souls.

A l'Ameraldina hi ha una cova.

In the Ameraldina there is a cave.

A dins de la cova s'hi pot viure una segona vida.

Inside the cave, one can live a second life.

L'Ameraldina, un viatge a l'univers menys conegut de Mercè Rodoreda.

The Ameraldina, a journey to the lesser-known universe of Mercè Rodoreda.