Vicent Andrés Estellés’ centenary at QMUL with ValenciansUK, Pau Alabajos and Dominic Keown
Last week, an extraordinary cultural event organised by ValenciansUK and the Centre for Catalan Studies (CCS) took place, bringing together Vicent Andrés Estellés’ poetry and Pau Alabajos’ music, along with the launch of Vicent Andrés Estellés: La veu d’un poble, the first biography of the Valencian poet, one of the most important figures in contemporary Catalan literature.
The evening began with a talk by Professor Dominic Keown from the University of Cambridge, a dedicated scholar of Estellés’ work. He was introduced by Professor John London, director of the CCS, before delivering an insightful lecture that provided a historical, sociopolitical, and literary context for the poet’s work.
Following the lecture, Jordi Miquel, president of ValenciansUK, introduced singer-songwriter Pau Alabajos, who then took the stage to perform his musical adaptations of several poems by Estellés, exploring themes such as love, death, and the political situation of the Valencian Country.