Diana Zaforteza, an editorial voice against the current disappears

He was an editorial voice against the current. It was a mixture of pure passion and anarchy. You never knew where it would turn out for you; libertine spirit until the last moment. Born in Mallorca forty-four years ago now, but resident in Barcelona since childhood, Diana Zaforteza died yesterday Tuesday of cancer, despite the fact that her health had always been delicate. His vocation for literature and art always went hand in hand. I met her thanks to my friend and philanthropist Lluís Coromina , who had almost adopted her and accompanied her in all her artistic and human adventures. They were an incombustible duo. She married twice, the first to Josep Massot , who had an advantage in age but perhaps not in mischievousness. He had founded the publishing house Alpha Decay with Enric Cucurella and the sponsorship of the powerful literary agent Carme Balcells. Massot had guided him in the literary direction of the publishing house Alfabia - the name of a family estate in Mallorca. A risky publishing bet - which ended up being run over - but which had brilliant editions and which published several books linked to the world of art such as Artemisia -Gentileschi- by Anna Banti, a symbol of feminism whom Diana admired for her courage; Ana Rodriguez Fischer 's poet and painter , a fictional encounter between Góngora and El Greco during the 17th century; Popism The Warhol Sixties , the unpublished newspapers of Andy Warhol in the New York of the sixties under the editorship of Pat Hachett and the artist himself; El Cuervo , a collaboration between Lou Reed and the Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti to adapt the concept album The Raven or the cover he selected from the artist Lluís Vilà to illustrate the book Ida by Gertrude Stein . I would like to tell an anecdote about this cover. I met for five years - I admit that I am persistent - to convince Diana that the work of this Catalan artist, born in Banyoles, was interesting to make a cover. We did tests and tests and more tests, and nothing ... and when I had almost succumbed to the possibility of convincing her, she appeared one day with an incredible cover by Lluís Vilà and an equally amazing book, Ida; despite leaving the artist's name in the credits - I wanted to melt - he managed to find a fantastic pairing thanks to his amazing insight and knowing how to surround himself with good collaborators. She was a special woman, trainable, extraordinary in her particular creative chaos and that life has taken from us too soon. Let this article be a small tribute.