The Modern Novel

Biography

Narcís Oller i Moragas was born in Valls in 1846. His father died when he was two and he grew up in a the manor house of his mother s family. He studied law and first worked as a civil servant for the Barcelona Provincial Council and later as a solicitor for the Courts, continuing almost until his death. He started writing in Spanish, though most of his early work is lost. He then switched to Catalan.

He was influenced by realist writers such as Zola but also by Spanish writers such as Juan Valera and Benito Pérez Galdós. He came to know some of these writers, who tried to convince him to write in Spanish, not least for commercial reasons. He went on to write novels, plays, poetry, memoirs and stories. Only one of his novels – La bogeria (The Madness) – has been translated into English. He died in 1930.

Other sites

Narcís Oller
Narcís Oller
Narcís Oller (in Spanish)
Narcís Oller (in Catalan)
Narcís Oller (in Catalan)