Jaume Cabré The music of words

Jaume Cabré The music of words, is a documentary that delves into the life and work of one of the most transcendental literary personalities of contemporaneity: Jaume Cabré. In addition to an intimate conversation with the author, we also talk to his family, colleagues and friends to make the most complete portrait possible of his genius and his time.

Jaume Cabré is one of the most translated Catalan authors of all time, second only to Mercè Rodoreda and Ramon Llull. His works have been enjoyed in more than 30 countries. During his long career of more than 50 years, he has received the main awards of Catalan literature, as well as the Premi d’Honor de les Lletres Catalanes for the whole of his work and career or the Creu de Sant Jordi, the highest recognition that a person can receive from the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The basis of the documentary is a long interview with Jaume Cabré, at his home in Matadepera, to which will be added the opinions and interventions of more than twenty personalities linked to different aspects or facets of Jaume, either of his life or his professional activity, to which will be added archive documents: photographs, videos of other interviews in different periods, fragments of films, television series or programs, of a play, of an opera… and also a selection of texts – somewhat autobiographical – extracted from his masterpiece “Jo confesso” and reflecting different moments of his life, his thought and his concerns or hobbies. … and also a selection of texts – in a certain way autobiographical – taken from his masterpiece “Jo confesso” and reflecting different moments of his life, his thoughts and his concerns or hobbies.

The title chosen: “The music of words” already gives an idea that the main theme or, at least, the starting point of the documentary will be the great connection between literature and music in Cabré’s work. Cabré – undoubtedly a frustrated professional violinist – is a writer “wounded by music”, an inveterate music lover. Composers, performers, musicologists, luthiers, music students… and he has even declared that he has written one of his novels – “La sombra del eunuco” – following the outline of Alban Berg’s “Violin Concerto”, or that at other times he has been inspired by Bach, Schubert, Schumann… The music and the musicians and their environment will be, then, the starting point to reach a literary work – and some other experiences – wide and varied that have made him achieve, with a long thirty translations of some of his works and a great diffusion, the international recognition that Jaume Cabré has.

The vehicular interview – recorded on May 24 and 31, 2022 – was made at a time when Jaume’s memory was beginning to fade, it lasts about three hours, but it will hardly be possible to take more than half an hour. In these fifteen months that have passed, Jaume’s cognitive perception has diminished a lot and his memory is at a minimum … very minimal! So it will be difficult to do any more interviews with him and that is why it will be important that the twenty or so personalities who will take part in the documentary, each one of them in different or complementary areas, build the puzzle and help the viewer to know who Jaume Cabré is and why he has earned the national and international recognition that places him as one of the most outstanding writers of Catalan and universal literature.

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