Catalan translation in the 1960s: The Battle between Manuel de Pedrolo and Censorship

Abstract

In the early 1960s, after more than 20 years of prohibitions, Catalan translation experienced an unprecedented upswing. Numerous publishers and writers immersed themselves in the task of reviving the literary heritage, which had been devastated, by creating local works and especially through translation. Manuel de Pedrolo was one of the most prolific translators of the period in the field of fiction, and due to his political and literary tendencies, he was one of the most carefully watched. This article analyses the censorship processes applied over censored works that Pedrolo translated throughout the sixties, which illustrate how the censor machinery operated and show the administration’s widespread aversion towards the translator.