Joan Barril (Barcelona, 1952-2014) combined his journalistic output and his literary writing. As a journalist, he was chief editor of the weekly newspaper El Món and contributed to El País, La Vanguardia and El Periódico, where he penned a daily opinion piece and published a weekly story. He also presented the daily current affairs radio show El cafè de la República.
On TV, he directed the program L'illa del tresor together with Joan Ollé, as well as fronting a book show called Qwerty.
His literary output includes such gems as Un submarí a les estovalles (La Campana,1988; Pere Quart Prize for Humour and Satire Works), Parada obligatòria (Planeta, 1998; Ramon Llull Fiction Prize), Tots els ports es diuen Helena (Empúries, 1998; Ramon Muntaner YA Fiction Prize; Crítica Serra d'Or Prize for YA and Children’s Fiction), Certes Mentides (Columna, 2002; 23 d'Abril Prize), Ja ens trucarem i altres contes del diumenge (Ediciones B, 2003), 100 contes morals (Ara, 2007), 201 contes corrents (Ara, 2009), Les terres promeses (Edicions 62, 2010; Sant Joan Prize) and El caçador d'ombres (Edicions 62, 2012).
His widely acclaimed opinion pieces were gathered together in the quartet of volumes Sobre l'amor (2007), Sobre la distància (2008), Sobre els plaers (2009), and Sobre la felicitat (2013), published by Edicions 62.
Joan Barril passed away on 13 December 2014, aged 62, shortly after delivering his latest novel, La dona immòbil, released posthumously by Edicions 62 in February 2015.
