The Faculty professor is recognised for La roca i l’aire, an essay on the correspondences between art and religion in the Catalan cultural tradition

Raül Garrigasait, professor at the Faculty of Philology and Communication of the University of Barcelona, has received the 2026 Serra d’Or Critics’ Prize in the essay category for La roca i l’aire. Art i religió de Llull a Tàpies, published by Fragmenta in 2025. The award recognises the work as the best essay published in the past year.

The award-winning book offers a reading of the correspondences between art and religion in the Catalan cultural tradition. Garrigasait examines figures and works ranging from the Catalan Kabbalists to Ramon Llull, Ausiàs March, Isabel de Villena, Carner, Mompou and Tàpies, tracing a sensualist tradition in Catalan art and thought. He also explores how, during the consolidation of modernity, artistic genius conceived of itself as a “second god” and sought in transcendence a language capable of giving depth to creation.

A benchmark award in Catalan culture

The Serra d’Or Critics’ Prizes are awarded annually by the journal Serra d’Or, linked to the Abbey of Montserrat, to the most outstanding works published the previous year, without submission to competition. The prizes carry no monetary award and consist of a gold serrated lapel pin as a distinction. In the literature and essay category, works from various genres are recognised, including fiction, poetry, translation and essay. This year marked the sixtieth edition of the awards.

Garrigasait’s academic and literary career

Raül Garrigasait (Solsona, 1979) holds a PhD in Classical Philology and is a professor at the Faculty of Philology and Communication of the University of Barcelona. He has taught at the universities of Wales and Stanford and has chaired La Casa dels Clàssics since 2017. In addition to La roca i l’aire, he is the author of essays such as El gos cosmopolita i dos espècimens més, Els fundadors and País barroc, and of novels including Els estranys and Profecia. In 2015 he received the UB’s 5th Cum Laude Prize for his doctoral thesis.

Photo: Vinyet Peñarroya.