Mireia Sopena publishes El somni més ambiciós. L’Editorial Selecta i la recuperació de lectors
The philologist and editor Mireia Sopena, head of the Publication and Production Department at University of Barcelona Editions, has recently published El somni més ambiciós. L’Editorial Selecta i la recuperació de lectors, a book that delves into the trajectory of a publishing house that was key to Catalan literature’s survival during Franco’s regime. This study is based on the figure of Josep Maria Cruzet, founder of Editorial Selecta, and his plan to rebuild a cultural fabric damaged by the war and repression. Through an exhaustive research and a meticulous analysis of the historical and cultural context, Sopena explores the strategies Cruzet used to weave alliances with personalities from the industrial, political, cultural and literary worlds to become the leading post-war publisher in Catalan.
The philologist and editor Mireia Sopena, head of the Publication and Production Department at University of Barcelona Editions, has recently published El somni més ambiciós. L’Editorial Selecta i la recuperació de lectors, a book that delves into the trajectory of a publishing house that was key to Catalan literature’s survival during Franco’s regime. This study is based on the figure of Josep Maria Cruzet, founder of Editorial Selecta, and his plan to rebuild a cultural fabric damaged by the war and repression. Through an exhaustive research and a meticulous analysis of the historical and cultural context, Sopena explores the strategies Cruzet used to weave alliances with personalities from the industrial, political, cultural and literary worlds to become the leading post-war publisher in Catalan.
The book shows the fundamental role played by Editorial Selecta in the resumption of publishing in Catalan, a huge challenge in a period marked by scarce resources and prohibitions. Despite the difficulties, Cruzet created an undeniable literary canon with modern, classic and contemporary authors (Verdaguer, Sagarra, Calders, Espinàs…) and created the most important Catalan literary festival of all time: the Night of Santa Llúcia. His relationship with Josep Pla, in particular, was a determining factor in the expansion and consolidation of the label, for he became an essential role model for Catalan literature.
Sopena analyses the balance Cruzet had to strike between authors, the institutions of the regime and readers, as well as the internal tensions within the publishing house, specially during the years leading up to his death in 1962, which marked a turning point in the history of Editorial Selecta and for the future of publishing in Catalan.
Mireia Sopena (1975) holds a PhD in Catalan Philology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, with a thesis that won the IEC Lluís Nicolau de Olwer Philological Section Award in 2022. She graduated from at the University of Barcelona and, between 2005 and 2007 she worked as a lecturer of Catalan at the Saint-Denis University (Paris VIII). She began her career in the publishing sector in 1997, working for Larousse, Enciclopèdia Catalana and Grup 62. Since 2009, she has been a member of University of Barcelona Editions, where she is currently head of the Publication and Production Department.
As a historian of publication and censorship, Sopena is the author of several monographs, among which are Editar la memòria. L’etapa resistent de Pòrtic (1963-1976) (2006); Josep Pedreira, un editor en terra de naufragis. Els Llibres de l’Óssa Menor (1949-1963) (2011), a book that received the Carles Rahola Essay Award, and El risc de la modernitat. La revista «Critèrion» (1959-1969) (2018). Moreover, she was coordinated several collective volumes such as Mutacions d’una crisi. Mirada crítica a l’edició catalana (1975-2005) (2007), and Pliegos alzados. La historia de la edición, a debate (2020). She has also contributed to the recovery of forgotten Catalan authors, such as Cèlia Suñol: she prefaced the reissue of Primera part (2014) and highlighted its relevance in post-war Catalan literature.
In this essay, Mireia Sopena examines the contribution of Editorial Selecta regarding its predecessors and successors, she rebuilds the relationship between the personalities of the time, and highlights the importance of initiatives such that of Josep Maria Cruzet in the preservation and dissemination of Catalan culture.