Riera, Carme

b. 1948, Palma de Mallorca

   Writer

   Since graduating in Spanish Philology from the University of Barcelona, Riera has carved out for herself two equally successful niches in Spanish literature: one as a Lecturer in Spanish Literature at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with a special interest in poetry; the other as a muchread writer of short stories and novels in Catalan. In the former capacity she has edited a collection of poetry by Carlos Barral and published his diaries, as well as writing on the poet José Agustín Goytisolo (among others) and contributing articles to literary journals. She has also written for television and the theatre. However, it is as a writer of fiction that she is best known to the majority of Catalans.

   Her first collection of short stories, published in 1975, proved a great success with the public, and has since been reprinted more than thirty times. Te deix, amor, la mar com a penyora (I Leave You, My Love, the Sea as a Token) begins with a story of the same name which recounts a sensual relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her Maths teacher: it is not until the very last paragraph that the reader is led to realize that this is in fact a lesbian relationship. Indeed, relationships in all their varied forms are a vital component of Riera's fiction, as is an interest in female psychology. Women's lives, hopes, fears and aspirations in all their complexity are explored in a sensitive and often sensual fashion. Riera's prose is lyrical and often poetic, and one of its most distinctive features is the way she mixes different registers and even dialects of language. For example, she uses everything from very colloquial to very formal language, and employs the Mallorcan dialect of Catalan alongside standard Catalan. Not only does the Mallorcan dialect figure strongly in her work, Mallorcan life and landscapes also play a vital role. Riera's first novel, Una primavera per a Domenico Guarini (A "Primavera" for Domenico Guarini) won the prestigious Prudenci Bertrana Prize in 1980. Other successful novels followed, along with more collections of short stories. Riera has translated some of her own work into Spanish, although there are often major differences between the Catalan and Spanish versions: she has said that if the translation seems not to convey the meaning she wants, she writes a new version in Spanish. Some of her work has also been translated into other languages, including English.

   See also: women's writing

   Further reading

   - Aguado, N. (1991) "Carme Riera or The Suggestive Power of Words", Catalan Writing 6: 53–6 (followed by biographical notes, bibliography, and translations of two short stories, including "I Leave You, My Love, the Sea as a Token").

   - Glenn, K.M. (1994) "Conversation with Carme Riera", Catalan Review 8, 1–2: 203–9 (interview).

   KATHRYN CRAMERI