A selection of poems by the Mallorquin poet Joan Alcobver (1854-1926) including 'La Balanguera', which set to music has become the national anthem of Mallorca. This is the first translation into English, by Paul O'Prey.
Joan Alcover (1854 to 1926) was one of Mallorca's most important poets. Born in Palma, he trained as a lawyer and briefly entered politics before devoting himself to literature. After a series of family tragedies, his poetry deepened in emotional power, combining personal loss with a profound sense of place, memory and cultural identity. His best-known works include La Balanguera, La Reliquia and Desolacio. La Balanguera, inspired by a traditional Mallorcan song and set to music by the composer Amadeu Vives in 1926, was adopted as the official anthem of Mallorca in 1996 and remains a powerful symbol of the island's history, culture and identity.
Paul OPrey
Paul O'Prey has published four collections of poetry: Westerly Rising (2026), Pilot Songs for a Phantom Island (2024), Mappa Mundi (2022) and Fleet (2020). He has translated the poems of Jordi Doce in English (Slow Burn, 2024).
He translated Los Pazos de Ulloa (The House of Ulloa) the nineteenth century novel by Emilia Pardio Bazan into English for Penguin Classics.
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