Jordi Mas is the winner of the XIII Jordi Domènech Poetry Translation award for his translation of the poem ‘Tres veus lligades a Minase’, by Sôgi, Shôhaku and Sôchô. The event is organised by Café Central de poesía

This winning translation is the translation of a Japanese chain verse poem which dates back to the XV century, in which these three famous poets gathered together at the Santuario de Minase to celebrate an extraordinary ceremony: the writing of a collective poem, which over the years has become one of the most important and significant works in the history of the Far East. The verses in the book are a tribute to a bygone era, to the old political and cultural splendour of the Japanese aristocracy. The book is the last opportunity to rebuild a golden age, which has since disappeared, but the heart of which still beats through the use of sublime metaphors.

More about Jordi Mas

He has published the following poetry books: ‘Autoretrat amb esfinx’, ‘Horus al desert’, ‘Arpa de boca’ and ‘Febrer’. During his career he has translated several literary works, both classic as well as contemporary, from Japanese into Catalan. He is a lecturer at the Department of Translation and Interpreting at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he teaches Japanese language and literature classes. He has published the volumes Josep Maria Junoy and Joan Salvat-Papasseit, similar to haiku, and several academic articles focused on Japanese poetic forms in Catalan.