Remembering Josep Maria de Sagarra, 1894-1961

The Catalan daily El Punt Avui has a long article on this writer today, the 50th anniversary of his death, here.
Some of the thoughts expressed there: the novel Vida Privada ["Private Life"] (1932) is undoubtedly a classic, and de Sagarra one of the great Catalan writers of the 20th century. He was born into an aristocratic family, studied law and was meant to become a diplomat but then became a writer. He worked as a journalist in the 1920s and 30s, also as a foreign correspondent. A lot of his columns of the intellectual who observes his surroundings and cherishes the good life ("bon vivant") were later made into books, e.g. Cafè, copa i puro ["Coffee, brandy and cigar"], L'Aperitiu ["The appetizer"], or El be negre ["The black lamb"]. He was a popular theatre author, too. Also wrote travel books and novels, as well as his memories (Les memòries, 1954).

The English-speaking Wikipedia does not an entry on him, but the Catalan culture ministry offers an exhaustive English introduction here.