Vil·la Joana, the house in Collserola where the poet Jacint Verdaguer spent his final years — now one of the sites of the Barcelona History Museum — once again becomes the setting for a literary residency in 2025, welcoming writers from around the world. This is one of the flagship projects of Barcelona UNESCO City of Literature, and this year, 24 writers and translators will stay at the house to work on their creative proposals.

The international literary residencies at Vil·la Joana began as a pilot programme in 2022 and have taken place annually ever since. As in previous editions, the 2025 residents have been organised into groups of three, each staying for a three-week period. Most of the participants were selected through an open call for writers of any nationality and language working on fiction or non-fiction projects, as well as literary translators with projects linked to Barcelona. Other residents are taking part through exchanges with fellow UNESCO Cities of Literature — with Catalan authors and translators travelling to those cities — and through partnerships with the Etxepare Basque Institute, PEN Català, and the Kosmopolis festival.

In addition to working on their own projects, the residents will take part in literary activities organised by Vil·la Joana, further establishing the space as a cultural meeting point between local and international authors.

Among this year’s residents at Vil·la Joana are German novelist and translator Maria Hoffmann-Dartevelle; British fiction writer Fiona Williams; American author and journalist Sarah Jaffe; Taiwanese poet, interdisciplinary artist and independent researcher Enkaryon Ang; Ukrainian literary translator Ilaria Shevchenko; American translator Clyde Moneyhun; and Greek writer, playwright and screenwriter Alexandra K*.

Find out the names of all the residents and more about the international residency project of Barcelona UNESCO City of Literature at this link.