Renada-Laura Portet was the pen name of Renada-Laura Calmon-Ouillet (28 August 1927 – 5 September 2021) a Northern Catalonia writer and linguist of Occitania origin. She was one of the most important literary voices in Northern Catalonia. Portet cultivated the genres of poetry, short story, novel, drama, and essays, as well as scientific or research writing on topics such as linguistics, toponymy, or onomastics. She used several other pseudonyms including, "Caterina Martí", "Isabel Rosselló", "Vicenta Pallarès", "Toni Vidaló" and "Ramon Oliver".[1]
Portet was the author of many poetry collections, in addition to a large number of books in prose, and short story collections. She produced at least two books focused on her specialization in toponymy and onomastic.[2] She published stories and poems in local magazines as well as Catalan onomastic research articles. As a poet, short story writer, or novelist, she appeared in seven university anthologies in the United States, Italy, France, Catalonia, and Germany, such as Moderne katalanische Erzahlungen/Contes catalans moderns (Bonn: Romanistischer Verlag, 1988).[3]
Death and legacy
In 1991, the filmmaker-author Robert Guisset made a literary film portrait entitled Renada'Song dedicated to the author.[1]
Renada-Laura Calmon-Ouillet died in Elne, 5 September 2021.[2]
1981, Víctor Català award, for the collection of short stories Castell negrey. Later, the award was withdrawn, because Portet published the book in a French publishing house.[5]
1981, Vila de Perpinyà-Modest Sabaté, for Els noms de lloc del Rosselló[1][4]
1983, Finalist, Sant Jordi Prize, for the novel L'escletxa
2007, Premi de la rosa, for the whole of her work.[4][1]
2009, Premi Internacional de Literatura Antonio Machado[1]
2017, Coll de Manrella Memorial award, at the 39th Coll de Manrella Meeting[7]
2017, On the occasion of her 90th birthday, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Institute of Catalan Studies, and the Institution of Catalan Letters paid tribute to his literary career and commitment.[1]
