Thursday 8 March 2018

MARIA MERCÈ MARÇAL: VOICE AND STRUGGLE OF WOMEN

Maria Mercè Marçal's mural painting in Ivars d'Urgell
Maria-Mercè Marçal is one of the most important writers in Catalan literature. She was born in Barcelona in 1952 and moved to Ivars d'Urgell, Lleida where she spent her childhood. Later, she returned to Barcelona to study Classical Philology in the University. 

She worked as a Catalan teacher in some high schools, one of them, Joaquim Rubió i Ors in Sant Boi de Llobregat. She died at 46 years old  in Barcelona fighting against a terrible disease.

Today, March 8, The Grandma wants to remember and homage her with one of her most beautiful poems: Cançó de fer camí. Because we deserve equal salaries, because we do invisible jobs and because we want to be alive without any kind of genre violence.

 Vols venir a la meva barca?
—Hi ha violetes, a desdir!
Anirem lluny sense recança
d'allò que haurem deixat aquí.

Anirem lluny sense recança
—i serem dues, serem tres.
Veniu, veniu, a la nostra barca,
les veles altes, el cel obert.

Hi haurà rems per a tots els braços
—i serem quatre, serem cinc!—
i els nostres ulls, estels esparsos,
oblidaran tots els confins.

Partim pel març amb la ventada,
i amb núvols de cor trasbalsat.
Sí, serem vint, serem quaranta,
amb la lluna per estendard.

Bruixes d'ahir, bruixes del dia,
ens trobarem a plena mar.
Arreu s'escamparà la vida
com una dansa vegetal.

Dins la pell de l'ona salada
serem cinc-centes, serem mil.
Perdrem el compte a la tombada.
Juntes farem la nostra nit.

More information: Visat


I appreciate three gifts from the hazard: having been born a woman,
low class and oppressed nation. And the awkwardness of being three rebellious turns. 

Maria Mercè Marçal

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