Collegial Association of Writers of Catalonia

The Associació Col·legial d'Escriptors de Catalunya (ACEC), known in Spanish as the Asociación Colegial de Escritores de Cataluña, is a non-profit professional association that brings together writers and translators working in Catalonia. It was founded in 1980 as an autonomous section of the Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España and became a legally independent association in 1990. Its headquarters are in the Palau Savassona in Barcelona, a building declared a Monument of Spanish Historical Heritage in 1981. The association's mission is to defend and promote the rights of authors as cultural creators. It welcomes writers, translators, compilers, and literary critics regardless of the language they use, and facilitates access to public institutional support, media, and modern technologies. ACEC has been instrumental in securing recognition of translators' authorship rights and in advocating for fair copyright legislation, including the 1987 reform of the Spanish Intellectual Property Law. It also participated in the creation of CEDRO, the Spanish collective rights management entity for authors and publishers. ACEC organizes cultural events, publishes a quarterly bulletin (Boletín del ACEC) since 1993, and has published the journal Cuadernos de Estudio y Cultura (2004–2008). It awards two annual prizes: the Ángel Crespo Translation Prize (since 1998) and the José Luis Giménez-Frontín Prize (since 2009). In 2000 it created the Archivo Audiovisual de Poetas, a collection of recordings of poets reciting their work, now comprising 105 films. The association has been led by prominent literary figures, with David Castillo i Buïls serving as president since September 2017.

The Associació Col·legial d'Escriptors de Catalunya (ACEC) emerged from the broader movement of Spanish writers organizing to defend their copyright in the 1970s. In 1970, the associative impulse of Spanish writers germinated in the first associations for the defense of authors' rights, as the Intellectual Property Law then in force did not satisfactorily regulate copyright. The death of Franco and the subsequent Transition opened the door to a legislative framework closer to European social democracy in the protection of authors' rights. The 1987 promulgation of the new Intellectual Property Law aligned Spanish law with European standards and expanded the defense and recognition of authors' rights. ACEC was established in 1980 as an Autonomous Section of the Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España. In the early 1980s, a notable group of Catalan writers in the Spanish language, unable to join the veteran and well-organized Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua Catalana, integrated into the Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España, based in Madrid and presided over by Ángel María de Lera. Given their anarcho-syndicalist past, the Barcelona writers hoped for understanding regarding the need for effective management autonomy, professional defense, and cultural promotion. Lera did not show hostility to the idea that the ACE should adapt to the autonomous design just outlined by the transition politicians. For several years, the Barcelona group—without budget or any endowment—held its meetings in cafeterias. The first presidency was assumed by the critic and essayist Román Gubern, and the second—which marked the true institutional takeoff—by the professor and poet Joaquín Marco. They were followed by José Corredor-Matheos, José Luis Giménez-Frontín, Manuel de Seabra, Montserrat Conill, Miquel de Palol, and since September 2017 David Castillo i Buïls has been the president of ACEC. In 1990, ACEC became a legally independent association of writers and translators. It has counted among its members some of the most prominent contemporary writers in both Catalan and Spanish. The association sought institutional respect for an organization that grouped writers and translators in Catalonia without linguistic criteria and was consequently composed of two-thirds Spanish-language writers, many of them Latin American. At the same time, it aimed to guarantee relations with cultural associations and institutions of Catalan expression, practicing active bilingualism. Some of the most honorable names of the Barcelona republic of letters were involved as presidents, secretaries, or board members. Over the years, novelists, poets, essayists, and translators in both Catalan and Spanish have participated, including Josep Maria Carandell, Víctor Mora, Salvador Pániker, Susana Constante, Cesáreo Rodríguez Aguilera, Manuel Serrat Crespo, Carlos Barral, Antonio Beneyto, Marta Pessarrodona, Antonina Rodrigo, Ramón Gil Novales, Luis Romero, and Horacio Vázquez Rial in 1982–1984; Ángel Crespo, Lluís Izquierdo, Enrique Murillo, and Pepe Ribas in 1988; Miquel de Palol, Ernesto Ayala-Dip, Joan Manuel Gispert, Luis Goytisolo, and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán in the early 1990s; Eduardo Mendoza, Eugenio Trías, Mireia Bofill, Margarita Rivière, Antonio Prometeo-Moya, and Neus Aguado in the mid-1990s; Andreu Martín, Félix de Azúa, Javier García Sánchez, Rai Ferrer, Montserrat Conill, and Olivia de Miguel in 1997; Carme Camps, Luisa Cotoner, Fernando Valls, and Ignacio Vidal Folch at the turn of the millennium; and Héctor Bofill, Iván Tubau, Dante Bertini, Fernando Gómez Hernández, José María Micó, and Antonio Tello, among many others, in the early 2000s. ACEC achieved recognition of authorship rights for translators. It could not obtain a public domain levy for living writers, but it did succeed in extending the term for its entry into force after the author's death, which the draft law intended to reduce very significantly to the detriment of heirs. It proposed—as has since happened—that the future collective rights management entity (CEDRO) should compensate authors for systematic photocopying and piracy of protected texts and assist them in cases of economic precariousness. In 1998, ACEC established the Ángel Crespo Translation Prize, awarded annually. In 2000, it created the Archivo Audiovisual de Poetas under the impetus of then Secretary General José Luis Giménez-Frontín, with the aim of gathering testimonies of renowned poets reciting their work; it has become a reference for scholars, documentalists, and poetry readers, and currently comprises 105 films. Since 1993, ACEC has published the Boletín del ACEC quarterly, reaching issue 74 in 2008. From 2004 to 2008, it published 12 issues of the journal Cuadernos de Estudio y Cultura, monographs collecting presentations from tributes to various authors and interventions and readings from the ACEC Poetry Days. In 2009, the José Luis Giménez-Frontín Prize was established.

• 2017

  David Castillo i Buïls becomes president of ACEC in September.

• 2009

  The José Luis Giménez-Frontín Prize is established.

• 2004

  ACEC begins publishing the journal Cuadernos de Estudio y Cultura (until 2008).

• 2000

  The Archivo Audiovisual de Poetas is created under Secretary General José Luis Giménez-Frontín.

• 1998

  The Ángel Crespo Translation Prize is established.

• 1993

  ACEC begins publishing the Boletín del ACEC quarterly.

• 1990

  ACEC becomes a legally independent association of writers and translators.

• 1987

  New Intellectual Property Law is promulgated, aligning Spanish law with European standards.

• 1980

  ACEC is established as an Autonomous Section of the Asociación Colegial de Escritores de España.

• 1970

  Associative impulse of Spanish writers germinates in the first associations for the defense of authors' rights.

A non-profit, bilingual (Catalan and Spanish) professional association defending authors' rights and promoting literary culture in Catalonia.

• Boletín del ACEC

  Quarterly bulletin published since 1993; reached issue 74 in 2008.

• Cuadernos de Estudio y Cultura

  Journal published from 2004 to 2008 (12 issues), featuring monographs from tributes and poetry days.

• Archivo Audiovisual de Poetas

  Audiovisual archive created in 2000, comprising 105 films of poets reciting their work.

1. 1Asociación Colegial de Escritores de Cataluña - Associació Col·legial d’Escriptors de Catalunyaacec-web.org
2. 2Associació Col·legial d'Escriptors de Catalunya - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Asociación Colegial de Escritores de Cataluña - Wikipediaes.wikipedia.org