Clasificación geográfica

Europa > España

Movimientos socio-culturales

Edad Contemporánea > Feminismo

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos literarios y culturales desde finales del s. XIX > Literatura desde el último tercio del s. XX

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimiento obrero

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimientos pro-derechos civiles

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimientos LGTBI

Grupos por ámbito de dedicación

Activistas > Feministas (activistas)

Activistas > Pacifistas

Educadoras > Profesoras

Divulgadoras / Promotoras culturales > Editoras

Escritoras > Poetas

Escritoras > Narradoras

Escritoras > Dramaturgas

Escritoras > Ensayistas

Escritoras > Oradoras

Escritoras > Autobiógrafas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Columnistas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Comentaristas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Comunicadoras

Personaje
Isabel-Clara

Isabel-Clara Simó i Monllor

Alcoi 04-04-1943 ‖ Barcelona 13-01-2020

Periodo de actividad: Desde 1978 hasta 2020

Clasificación geográfica: Europa > España

Movimientos socio-culturales

Edad Contemporánea > Feminismo

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos literarios y culturales desde finales del s. XIX > Literatura desde el último tercio del s. XX

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimiento obrero

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimientos pro-derechos civiles

Edad Contemporánea > Movimientos sociopolíticos > Movimientos LGTBI

Grupos por ámbito de dedicación

Activistas > Feministas (activistas)

Activistas > Pacifistas

Educadoras > Profesoras

Divulgadoras / Promotoras culturales > Editoras

Escritoras > Poetas

Escritoras > Narradoras

Escritoras > Dramaturgas

Escritoras > Ensayistas

Escritoras > Oradoras

Escritoras > Autobiógrafas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Columnistas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Comentaristas

Escritoras > Periodistas / Cronistas > Comunicadoras

Contexto de creación femenina

Isabel-Clara Simó is, together with Carme Riera, Montserrat Roig, Maria Antònia Oliver, Antònia Vicens, M. Àngels Anglada, Àngels Moreno, Maria Barbal and Carme Miquel, one of the most powerful storytellers of the last third of the 20th century, who contributed to normalise literature written by women after forty years of Franco's dictatorship. She is part of the previous narrative tradition, with writers such as Caterina Albert, Dolors Monserdà, Aurora Bertrana, M. Teresa Vernet, Mercè Rodoreda, Maria Aurèlia Capmany, Maria Beneyto or Carmelina Sánchez-Cutillas. 

Júlia, as many of Simó and her contemporaries' works, prioritises female characters and delves into their psychology, especially marked by the patriarchal oppression they are surrounded by. First-person stories, a discourse filled with symbols, reflexive but seemingly spontaneous dialogues and an innovative treatment of the body and sexuality are some features of the narrative works of these authors, which connect with the trends of modern Western literature and serve as a reference for the huge number of storytellers and novelists appearing in the 20th century, such as Raquel Ricart, Anna Moner, Marta Rojals, Marta Orriols, Eva Baltasar, Llúcia Ramis, etc. 

Reseña

Isabel-Clara Simó i Montllor was a Valencian novelist, teacher, journalist and activist settled in Catalonia. She started her literary career in 1978, when she won the Víctor Català Prize with her story collection És quan miro que hi veig clar and ended with her last and posthumous novel El teu gust. She has received lots of prizes, like the Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes in 2017. On the other hand, it is important to highlight her journalistic work and her media coverage, which portrays a vindictive engagement on feminism, social minorities and defence of freedom, language and culture of Catalan-speaking territories. Her narrative and journalistic work entice to think about collective reality to individual internal conflict.  

Justificaciones

  • Prolific writer, with a solid and constant career.
  • She was versatile: she wrote novel, drama, essay and research articles.
  • She was engaded in culture, language and politics, in the context of Catalan-speaking territories.
  • Social denunciation of injustice made against traditionally discriminated collectives, such as LGTBI+, racialised persons...
  • She reflected on human condition and its contradictions.
  • Her writings show an awareness clearly rooted in reality itself.
  • Some of her works allow interdisciplinary readings, from history, politics, philosophy, literature, and art.
  • Feminist role model because of her work and her activism.

Biografía

Isabel-Clara Simó was born in Alcoi on 4th of April 1943. She had a degree on Philosophy from Universitat de València, where she was in contact with the first nationalist groups. She was teacher, first in the Valencian Country, and afterwards in Catalonia. In 1973, she took some tests of Journalism studies in Barcelona. The previous year, in 1972, she leaded the magazine Canigó, until 1983, where she supported and gave voice to new generations of young writers. Moreover, meanwhile, she got a PhD in Romance philology. Between 1985 and 1988 she was member of the Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana, where she ended up being its vice-president. In 1966, she became representative of the Book of the Ministry of Culture in the Generalitat de Catalunya.   

Isabel-Clara Simó started her literary career in 1978 with her work És quan miro que hi veig clar which received Víctor Català prize. From then on, her publications were stable and of different genres, from storytelling, drama and poetry to essay, among other subgenres. All these publications show her engagement to the most disadvantaged social groups, and, according to Isabel-Clara Simó, "by giving importance and their own voice to those people who have never had it in the media and in the majority society. Women, workers, migrants..." (Tormo 2021:159).   

After publishing a great amount of works, as well as winning prestigious awards, like the Premi d’Honor de les Lletres Catalanes, Simó donated over ten thousand books and magazines from her personal library, and over one hundred works to the Town Hall of Alcoi, which named her Favourite Daughter in 2017. 

She died in Barcelona on 13th of January 2020.  

Source: Dones i valencianisme, https://fundacionexe.org/donesivalencianisme/periodes/resilients/isabel-clara-simo/, (retrieved on: 20/03/2022).   

Obras

Inglés

Valenciano

NOVEL

(1983; 1995). Júlia. Barcelona: La Magrana. 

(1986; 1995). T'estimo, Marta. Barcelona: La Magrana.

(1990). Els ulls de Clídice. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(1990). La veïna. Barcelona: Àrea.

(1991). La Nati. Barcelona: Àrea.

(1992; 2018). El mas del Diable  Barcelona: Àrea; Alzira: Bromera.

(1994; 2003). La salvatge. Barcelona: Columna.

(1995). La innocent. Barcelona: Columna.

(1998). El professor de música. Barcelona: Columna.

(1998). El gust amarg de la cervesa (1999) Barcelona: Columna.

(2001). Hum... Rita! L'home que ensumava dones. València: Editorial 3i4.

(2002). L'home que volava en el trapezi. Barcelona: Columna.

(2006). Adéu-suau. Barcelona. Edicions 62.

(2007). El caníbal. Barcelona: Columna.

(2010). Amor meva. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(2012). Un tros de cel. Alzira: Bromera.

(2013). Els invisibles. Barcelona: Amsterdam.

(2016). Jonàs. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(2020). El teu gust. Alzira: Bromera. 

 

SHORT STORIES 

(1979). És quan miro que hi veig clar. Barcelona: Selecta.

(1987; 2006.). Alcoi-Nova York. Barcelona: Edicions 62..

(1992; 2002). Històries perverses. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(1995). Perfils cruels. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(1997). Dones. Barcelona: Columna.

(1999). Contes d'Isabel. Barcelona: Columna.

(2001). Estimats homes (Una caricatura). Barcelona: Columna.

(2004). Angelets. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(2008). Bons desitjos. Barcelona: Ara Llibres.

(2010). Homes. Alzira: Bromera.

(2014). Tota aquesta gent. Barcelona: Edicions 62. 

 

POETRY  

(1995). ABCDARI. Alcoi: Marfil. 

(2009). El conjur. Barcelona: Edicions 62. 

 

CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE  

(1986). El secret d'en Toni Trull. Barcelona: Barcanova.

(1992. 26a ed. 2007). Raquel.  Barcelona: Columna.

(1996; 4a ed. 2005). Joel.  Barcelona: Columna.

(1998). De nom, Emili. Barcelona: Columna.

(2000). El Jordi i la sargantana. Barcelona: Columna.

(2006). Els ulls de l'assassí. Alzira: Bromera.

(2006). Dora diu que no. Alzira: Bromera.

(2007). Missatges a la biblioteca. Barcelona: Actar.

(2008). El meu germà Pol. Alzira: Bromera.

(2015). Tzoé. Alzira: Bromera. 

 

DRAMA 

(1990). ...I Nora obrí la porta. Barcelona: Revista Entreacte. 

(2004). Còmplices. Alzira: Bromera. 

(2012). La visita. Alzira: Bromera. 

 

UNPUBLISHED PERFORMED PLAYS  

Dona i Catalunya [representada a l'Institut Francès el 1982].

Dones [representada amb el títol Mite-les, Barcelona: Teatre Regina, 1999]. 

 

LITERARY CRITICISM OR ESSAY 

(2000) . Sobre el nacionalisme (Carta al meu nét). Barcelona: Columna. 

(2005). Si em necessites, xiula. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

(2008). Adéu, Boadella. Barcelona: Mina, Col. l'Arquer. 

 

Some works are presented; to have access to her classified entire work search on AELC: https://www.escriptors.cat/autors/simoic/obra, (consulta 28-04-2022).

Bibliografía

Tormo i Santonja, Jordi (2021). Isabel-Clara Simó. Una veu lliure i compromesa, Barcelona: ed. Ara Llibres.   

Associació d’Escriptors en Llengua Catalana, https://www.escriptors.cat/autors/simoic/biografia-isabel-clara-simo, (Retrieved on: 20-03-2022).

LletrA, https://lletra.uoc.edu/ca/autora/isabel-clara-simo, (Retrieved on: 20-03-2022). 

Enciclopèdia.cat, https://www.enciclopedia.cat/ec-gec-0062800.xml, (Retrieved on: 20-03-2022). 

Escritores.org, https://www.escritores.org/biografias/4612-clara-simo-isabel, (Retrieved on: 20-03-2022). 

 

Enfoque Didáctico

 Isabel-Clara Simó's works fit perfectly in 3rd of ESO, and especially, in 4th of ESO, as well as for Bachillerato. Selected works are suitable for the reading plan of each education centre. Different typologies, literary genres and subgenres can be studied. Many of her texts are also suitable for the subjects of culture and values, and history.  

Documentos