With the sound of the sea waves and the swaying of the pine trees in the background, a estate rises with its almost brilliant whiteness, in the middle of nowhere, on a cliff of the Costa Brava. It is not easy to reach it, with a dirt road that challenges with bumps the vehicles that dare to venture, proposing as an alternative a long walk that allows one to get away from everything and immerse oneself in the calm and wild environment. It is there where the businessman and philanthropist Sergi Ferrer-Salat has decided to launch a literary residency for new talents and established creators, continuing with the commitment to the world of books that he began with the opening of the Finestres bookstore three years ago.
It was not a casual choice. His family, owner of the pharmaceutical group Ferrer, acquired the estate located in Palamós in the early seventies to spend their summers. It had the grace of having been built by the marriage formed by the exiled Tsarist colonel Nicolai Woevodsky and the English aristocrat Dorothy Webster, also responsible for the Cap Roig castle that now fills every summer with music with the Cap Roig festival. But, most importantly, a few years before the arrival of the Ferrer Salat family, it had been occupied by the American writer Truman Capote, isolated in that natural setting to write In Cold Blood, one of his most celebrated novels and a driving force behind new journalism. For Ferrer-Salat, that detail, without forgetting the landscapes that accompany it, surrounded by the Camí de Ronda and crowned by Cala Sanià, confirm the house as the ideal setting to become "one of the best literary residencies in the world."
Before the official inauguration a few days ago, the facility has been testing its model for almost a year with guests such as Irene Solà, Sabina Urraca, Leila Guerriero, Pol Guasch, Alba Muñoz and Gabriela Wiener. In fact, the former, author of the acclaimed Canto jo i la muntanya balla (Anagrama), was the only one to give a clue about the existence of this new space. She did so in the acknowledgments of her latest novel, Et vaig donar ulls i vas mirar les tenebres (Anagrama), having finished it in Palamós. With the official launch made, the new writers it will host will be Mariana Enriquez, Kae Tempest, Robin Robertson and Irene Pujades.
The person in charge of coordinating and supervising their stay is Nicolás G.Botero, project director. He comes from the Santa Maddalena Foundation, a literary residency located in Tuscany where he worked as a literary curator until 2020. "A literary residency is not a place where you only go to write a book," he maintains, also emphasizing the importance of the relationships forged with colleagues with whom one shares accommodation for a whole month.
For this, meals are an essential part of the authors' daily lives, with a local diet prepared by chef Ariadna Julián, previously focused on leading her own restaurant in Sabadell, El Fil d'Ariadna, and whom Ferrer-Salat already knew from Monvínic, where she was in charge of its kitchen before it closed. Tenants have a couple of hours' leeway for breakfast, but at 1:30 p.m. lunch is served and at 8:30 p.m. dinner, a time when they meet and see each other after hours locked in their rooms. They are not obliged to do so, as in the case of Leila Guerriero, who only went out for dinner and worked non-stop from morning to night.
To become a tenant of this idyllic spot in Palamós, one only needs to be an author, of any nationality and language, with an idea to develop. There will be three ways to access the program. Firstly, through the programs and awards announced by the bookstore itself, offering a place to all winners. There will also be an open call, in which projects for novels, short stories, and poems that are already underway will have to be submitted. Finally, the program will be responsible for directly inviting creators who may be interested, with a focus on international profiles to mix them with local ones. Once selected, they will be able to stay in the house for a month with all food and accommodation expenses covered, with a total of four writers living together in each batch. The forecast is to host 44 writers each year, closing only in August.
A room of one's own
Upon entering, a large library welcomes visitors. "It's growing," Botero points out, with many shelves still empty. With the Finestres bookstore team, a selection is being made, designed for writers immersed in a creative process, not so much filling it with classics but with titles that help them on that journey. It's clear that some of its books are already well-worn. In a corner, without drawing much attention, the first creator who wrote in that house has his small collection of titles, with more than one copy of In Cold Blood. And, being where it is, Josep Pla is also not missing.
Upon entering, a large library welcomes visitors, with some of its books showing they are already well-worn.Going up the stairs, one reaches the first and second floors, where the future residents of the residency will sleep and write.Each of them will have their own room, so as not to disappoint Woolf, but also a study and a bathroom.There is also a living room with an incredibly large television. All rooms are invaded by the exterior, but there are some with more privileged views, discerning the deep blue sea in the distance and, closer, the swimming pool that the house also has. For the vast majority, more distraction than inspiration. To counteract this, there is no coverage on the estate and only Wi-Fi connection. Oh, and no guests are accepted.
But the literary residence has an annex. Known among the driving team as "the cabin", the plot has a somewhat secluded hut, almost at the foot of another cove, that of Canyers. In a small space, a bed in the loft is combined with a desk with direct sea views and the bathroom on the ground floor. It is expected that the authors whom Botero considers the most daring will settle here because it is completely isolated and has no Wi-Fi, but, completely renovated, it may be the quietest and most attractive, in the middle of nowhere and with the sea a few steps away. At the entrance, a headlamp reminds that this room is only for adventurers.
And a bookstore for Palamós
Ferrer-Salat has wanted to extend Finestres' footprint in Palamós beyond the new literary residence. The businessman will reopen the premises that were left empty with the closure in 2019 of the Gavina bookstore, leaving the municipality orphaned. He himself remembers his walks to the establishment to look for readings when he spent his summers there. Between spring and summer of next year, the first branch of the bookstore on Diputació street will open, following the path also taken by the Barcelona bookstore NoLlegiu in Palafrugell, occupying the place that the historic Mediterrània had held and had been replaced for a few years by Vitel·la until last autumn. It seems that nothing is enough for Ferrer-Salat and he has noticed that the well-known Barraca d'en Dalí, characterized by having a crooked door and coincidentally being very close to the literary residence estate, is locked up tight and is in poor condition. The idea that it needs restoration is already circulating in his head.
Both with the new bookstore and the literary residence, the president of the Ferrer group continues a career of patronage that his family began with the Ferrer-Salat Music Foundation, promoted by his father, Carles Ferrer Salat, in 1982. He also has the Ferrer Sustainability Foundation, with projects such as cooking daily for vulnerable people in Barcelonès and Maresme, in which chef Ariadna Julián also participates. To make this possible, the biopharmaceutical group allocates 50% of its profits to finance these activities which it defends should serve to redistribute wealth, reduce inequalities and guarantee equal opportunities. In 2022, the group earned 28 million euros.
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