Joan Gili
Encyclopedia
Joan Gili i Serra, also known as John Gili, (1907 - 6 May 1998) was a Catalan
antiquarian book-seller, publisher and translator.
Joan Gili was born in Barcelona
in 1907. His father, Lluis Gili, ran a religious publishing house which also published a cookery book, Sabores, written by his mother, which became a bestseller. While working for his father's company, he developed an interest in English literature, which he wrote about in the Catalan newspaper La Publicitat.
In 1933, he was invited to visit England, and enjoyed the freedom he experienced there so much that he returned in 1934 to live. He opened the Dolphin Bookshop just off Charing Cross Road
in London
, specialising in Spanish and Latin American books and manuscripts. Some of the manuscripts on Spanish and Catalan history he collected are now in the Houghton Library at Harvard.
He began publishing books himself in 1938. These included textbooks and literary studies, and translations of Miguel de Unamuno
, Luis Cernuda
, Juan Ramón Jiménez
and Pablo Neruda
. In 1939, he and Stephen Spender translated a selection of Federico García Lorca
’s poems, one of the first books to introduce Lorca to an English-speaking audience. In the 1950s, Penguin Books
asked him to make prose translations of Lorca’s poems; this bilingual edition was a significant influence on several generations of poets and schoolchildren.
A special interest of his was the Catalan language, which at this time was largely suppressed by the Spanish authorities. In 1943, he produced an Introductory Catalan Grammar which long remained in print. He also published translations, many done by himself, of Catalan poets. These included Carles Riba
(Poems, 1964; Tankas of the Four Seasons, 1991; Savage Heart, 1993; Bierville Elegies, 1995), Salvador Espriu
(Forms and Words, 1980) and Josep Carner
(Poems, translated by Pearse Hutchinson
, 1962; Nabí, 1996-8). He was a founding member and later president of the Anglo-Catalan Society.
During the second world war he moved the bookshop to Oxford
, where it grew to two floors in a building that had once belonged to the painter Whistler. In 1948 he became a naturalised British citizen, but although he officially changed his name to John Gili, his friends and family continued to call him Joan.
His role as "unofficial consul of the Catalans in Britain" lead eventually to honours the Creu de Sant Jordi, from the Catalan government, and the Order of Isabella the Catholic from the Spanish government. However he was reported to be most satisfied by an honorary MA from Oxford University.
He worked until the very end of his life, into his nineties. He married Elizabeth McPherson in 1938. She later produced a translation of his mother's cookery book. They had three children: Jonathan Gili
(a documentary film maker), Martin Gili (who carried on, and developed Dolphin books), and Katherine Gili (a sculpturess).
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
antiquarian book-seller, publisher and translator.
Joan Gili was born in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in 1907. His father, Lluis Gili, ran a religious publishing house which also published a cookery book, Sabores, written by his mother, which became a bestseller. While working for his father's company, he developed an interest in English literature, which he wrote about in the Catalan newspaper La Publicitat.
In 1933, he was invited to visit England, and enjoyed the freedom he experienced there so much that he returned in 1934 to live. He opened the Dolphin Bookshop just off Charing Cross Road
Charing Cross Road
Charing Cross Road is a street in central London running immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles Circus and then becomes Tottenham Court Road...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, specialising in Spanish and Latin American books and manuscripts. Some of the manuscripts on Spanish and Catalan history he collected are now in the Houghton Library at Harvard.
He began publishing books himself in 1938. These included textbooks and literary studies, and translations of Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright and philosopher.-Biography:...
, Luis Cernuda
Luis Cernuda
Luis Cernuda , was a Spanish poet and literary critic.-Life and career:...
, Juan Ramón Jiménez
Juan Ramón Jiménez
Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956. One of Jiménez's most important contributions to modern poetry was his advocacy of the French concept of "pure poetry."-Biography:Jiménez was born in Moguer, near Huelva, in...
and Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
. In 1939, he and Stephen Spender translated a selection of Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
’s poems, one of the first books to introduce Lorca to an English-speaking audience. In the 1950s, Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
asked him to make prose translations of Lorca’s poems; this bilingual edition was a significant influence on several generations of poets and schoolchildren.
A special interest of his was the Catalan language, which at this time was largely suppressed by the Spanish authorities. In 1943, he produced an Introductory Catalan Grammar which long remained in print. He also published translations, many done by himself, of Catalan poets. These included Carles Riba
Carles Riba
Carles Riba i Bracons was a Catalan poet, writer and translator.He was born in Barcelona and studied Law and Philosophy at the University of Barcelona. In 1916 he married the poet Clementina Arderiu. He worked for a time in the School of Librarianship.In 1922 he travelled to Munich to study under...
(Poems, 1964; Tankas of the Four Seasons, 1991; Savage Heart, 1993; Bierville Elegies, 1995), Salvador Espriu
Salvador Espriu
Salvador Espriu i Castelló was a Catalan poet writing in the Catalan language.-Biography:Espriu was born in Santa Coloma de Farners, Catalonia. He was the son of an attorney. His childhood was divided between his home town, Barcelona, and Arenys de Mar, a village on the Maresme coast...
(Forms and Words, 1980) and Josep Carner
Josep Carner
Josep Carner i Puig-Oriol , was a Catalan poet, journalist, playwright and translator. He was also known as the Prince of Catalan Poets.-Biography:...
(Poems, translated by Pearse Hutchinson
Pearse Hutchinson
Pearse Hutchinson is an Irish poet, broadcaster and translator.-Childhood and education:Pearse Hutchinson was born in Glasgow. His father, Harry Hutchinson, a Scottish printer whose own father had left Dublin to find work in Scotland, was Sinn Féin treasurer in Glasgow and was interned in Frongoch...
, 1962; Nabí, 1996-8). He was a founding member and later president of the Anglo-Catalan Society.
During the second world war he moved the bookshop to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, where it grew to two floors in a building that had once belonged to the painter Whistler. In 1948 he became a naturalised British citizen, but although he officially changed his name to John Gili, his friends and family continued to call him Joan.
His role as "unofficial consul of the Catalans in Britain" lead eventually to honours the Creu de Sant Jordi, from the Catalan government, and the Order of Isabella the Catholic from the Spanish government. However he was reported to be most satisfied by an honorary MA from Oxford University.
He worked until the very end of his life, into his nineties. He married Elizabeth McPherson in 1938. She later produced a translation of his mother's cookery book. They had three children: Jonathan Gili
Jonathan Gili
Jonathan Gili , was an award-winning film-maker, editor and director, who produced numerous and wide-ranging television documentary and features programmes, mostly for the BBC.-Education:...
(a documentary film maker), Martin Gili (who carried on, and developed Dolphin books), and Katherine Gili (a sculpturess).