An exciting life serving the country

Since I discovered Before nightfall, From Reinaldo Arenas, I'm fascinated by the (auto)biographies of people, or characters, who have dedicated their lives to writing. Because there are lives that can be narrated with the thrilling breath of a great novel. There are illustrious examples in our country that are undoubtedly part of this universal canon: Reason and my right, the sensational approach that Jaume Pomar made to the figure of Llorenç Villalonga, and The warmth of the days, a work that delves intimately into the daily life of Llorenç Moyà Gilabert, curated by Miquel Àngel Vidal, among others. However, it is not always possible to have a biographer follow in Vidal's footsteps; some know how to conceal their traces with admirable efficiency, but for many years now, the expert Pilar Arnau, after years of research and several interviews, has published one of the most important books of this year, As long as I have a shred of breath left. Josep Maria Llompart de la Peña: a multifaceted man at the service of his country with beautiful editing in Quid Pro Quo.

This is an erudite, enjoyable, and vibrant volume that is a keen read and captures the essence and legacy of a poet, prose writer, literary critic, translator, editor, professor, and civic leader associated with various organizations and associations, from the AELC (Spanish Association of Associations of the Balearic Islands) to the Obra Cultural Balear (Balearic Cultural Work). It is commendable. It was not easy to create a unified flow of such a full life. But Pilar Arnau achieves this through an exhaustive chronological thread and well-defined chapters that function as capsules embodying different facets of a fascinating human being. Furthermore, Pilar Arnau's recognition of Llompart's companion, who was instrumental in the writer and activist's formation and development, is especially important: Encarnación Viñas, a distinguished educator who was a disciple of Gabriel Alomar and actively involved in the cultural fabric of the time. It was she who connected him with key figures like Riba and Capmany, for example, and gave him domestic and homely peace, in addition to being his first reader and advisor. There are magnificent episodes involving the couple that are not without controversy, such as the publicized confrontation between Josep Maria Llompart and Baltasar Porcel.

As long as I have a shred of breath left, by Pilar Arnau in Quid Pro Quo, is, along with the first volume of Lompartian complete works published by Nova Editorial Moll, one of the milestones of this year 2025 in which we celebrate the centenary of the birth of one of the fundamental figures of 20th-century Catalan literature.