Josep-Maria Terricabras, in memoriam
“The PEN family has lost a dear friend. We remember Josep-Maria Terricabras as a passionate defender of linguistic rights, one who inspired and led PEN International in promoting linguistic diversity around the world. His warmth, wit and vision will be sorely missed. Our deepest sympathy to his family and loved ones”. Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President.
The PEN community mourns the passing of Catalan philosopher, academic and former Chair of PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee, Josep-Maria Terricabras. A tireless champion of language and linguistic rights, Terricabras passed away on 16 April 2024. He was 77 years old.
Josep-Maria Terricabras was elected Chair of PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee in 2008, a position he held until 2014. In 2011, together with then PEN International President John Ralston Saul, Terricabras drafted PEN International’s Girona Manifesto on Linguistic Rights, a tool to aid the dissemination and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights. PEN Centres around the world have assisted in translating it into over 30 languages.
A graduate in philosophy and educational sciences from the University of Barcelona and the University of Münster, Josep-Maria Terricabras specialised in contemporary philosophy, specifically the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, which he has translated into Catalan, alongside Nietzsche and Freud. He introduced in Catalonia ‘Philosophy 3/18 (Philosophy for Children)’ and was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Girona at the time of his passing. He was a member of the European Parliament and later President of the European Free Alliance group between 2014 and 2019.
PEN Català and PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Right Committee also expressed their sadness and sympathies to the family of Josep-Maria Terricabras, honouring his memory and legacy.
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For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org