La Parada

Joaquim Ruyra i OmsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 295K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. La Parada by Joaquín Ruyra. Author: Ruyra, Joaquín, 1858-1939. Language: Catalan. Class: PC: Language and Literatures: Romance languages: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese. Release Date: Jan 23, 2005

Editor's review

La Parada is a short work by the Catalan writer Joaquín Ruyra (1858–1939), written in Catalan and released in the public domain by Project Gutenberg. Ruyra often sets his work against the seaside and rural life of his native region, with a style that dwells on local scenery and character psychology; this small book is a light sample for entering modern Catalan literature. Its value lies in language and regional color: the original preserves dialectal expression and narrative rhythm, useful to those studying Catalan literature or comparative literature; for general readers, it is short and concentrated in scene, readable in a single sitting. Note that this is the Catalan original, without a bilingual text or detailed notes, so readers unfamiliar with the language will need reference tools. Overall it suits language learners as extensive reading rather than readers seeking a plot-driven popular work.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate and advanced learners of Catalan
Readers studying regional Catalan literature
Those interested in Spanish regional literature and rural narrative
Readers who need public-domain short works for translation practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who read only Chinese or English and do not engage with Catalan
General readers expecting strong plot or a full-length novel
Beginners in literature who need detailed notes and introductions

Reading tips

Read through once for the gist, then a second time looking up unfamiliar words and place names.
Read closely paragraph by paragraph with a Catalan dictionary or bilingual reference.
After reading, compare with other short works by Ruyra to observe common techniques in his rural writing.
For translation practice, choose a passage, translate it literally first, then polish while preserving the dialectal tone.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What language is this book written in?

The original is in Catalan, released in the public domain by Project Gutenberg. There is no Chinese or English parallel translation, so readers need some ability to read Catalan or must rely on dictionaries and translation tools.

Who is Ruyra?

Joaquín Ruyra (1858–1939) was a Catalan writer; the material provides only his birth and death years and his authorship of this book. His works often draw on Catalan regional life, and details of his biography require authoritative literary histories.

Is it suitable for learning Catalan?

It can serve as extensive reading for intermediate and advanced learners, being short and concentrated in scene. But the text contains regional expressions that may challenge beginners; a foundation in grammar and common vocabulary, plus a dictionary while reading, is advised.

Comments

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About the author

Joaquim Ruyra i Oms Author · Catalan · 1858–1939

Joaquim Ruyra i Oms (Ruyra, Joaquín, 1858–1939) was a Catalan writer, poet and translator, born in Girona in 1858 and died in Barcelona in 1939. After graduating in law from the University of Barcelona, he devoted his life to literature. His representative works include the short-story collections La Parada and Pinya de Rosa (formerly titled Sea and Forest), in which he draws on the landscape, customs and fisherfolk's speech of the Costa Brava, writing with fine detail and vivid local colour. He is regarded as a key figure in modern Catalan literature, and a literary prize named after him is awarded by a Catalan studies institution. Besides his own writing, he also worked as a translator and holds an important place in Catalan literature's transition from the classical to the modern.