Maria del Pilar Maspons i Labrós
Maria del Pilar Maspons i Labrós (1841 in Barcelona – 1907 Barcelona) was a Spanish poet, novelist and writer of Catalan descent. Writing under the pseudonym Maria de Bell-lloc (sometimes spelled Bell-lloch), that she used her entire career, she is notable as one of the first Spanish women folklorists and the first woman novelist to be published in Catalan. Biography. Maria de Bell-lloc (in English: Maria of the Beautiful Place) was a writer of the Renaissance Catalan period and was very active from her start in 1865. She was influenced by trends  in this movement, which became known for romanticism of medieval characters, patriotism and traditionalism. She was also one of the first folklorist women, conducting field work to collect and transcribe Catalan legends and ethnographic narratives that she later recreated and edited. Maria wrote about her Catalan heritage and her stories and poems were set in the themes and landscapes of the Vallès region near Barcelona, Spain. It was a place that was very dear to her as the Maspons family owned the manor house at Bigues and often visited there. Her poetry was published in numerous magazines and Catalan periodicals  during her lifetime. Between 1865 and 1882, her writing appeared in such reviews as "Calendari Català (Catalan Calendar)", "Lo Gay Saber", "La Renaxensa", "La Veu de Montserrat", "La Llumanera de Nova York (The New York Feather)", "La Veu de Catalunya" and "Il·lustració Catalana". She also published two collections of poems "Salabrugas" (1874) and "Poesies" (Poems, undated). In a presentation of the book "Llegendari" (Book of Legends), Joan Armangué i Herrero confirmed that Maria was an essential member of the folklorist movement. She is known for being the first author to publish a novel in contemporary Catalan literature, "Vigatans i botiflers