Francesc Parcerisas

Francesc Parcerisas, born in 1944, is considered the premier Catalan poet of his generation—a “miracle generation” of poets who came of age as Franco’s public banning of the Catalan language ended. He is also a masterly translator from French, Italian, and English, most famous in Catalonia for his rendering of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. His awards include the the Lletre d’Or Prize for his volume Triumph of the Present, the Serra d’Or Critics’ Prize for his Catalan version of Seamus Heaney’s The Haw Lantern, and the Premi Jaume Fuster, awarded to him by the Writers Association for his contribution to Catalan letters. “Balconies” is from the volume Dos dies més de sud (Two More Days in the South; Quaderns Crema, Barcelona, 2006). Used by permission of Francesc Parcerisas and the press. (updated 10/2026)