2022 El Hòbbit (Jordi Boixaderas)

The Hobbit

Release Date: 2022.11.10
Reader: Jordi Boixaderas
Language: Spanish (Catalan)
Translator: Francesc Parcerisas
Organization: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial
Copyright: 2022 Penguin Random House Audio
ISBN: n/a
Duration: 11 hours 17 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: Spain
Licenced: Yes
Formats: Digital

The Catalan reading of El hòbbit: o viatge d’anada i tornada by Jordi Boixaderas was the first time the book had received a high-budget, professional unabridged audiobook in Catalan. Jordi Boixaderas (born 1959) is a respected and prolific actor and voice artist in Catalonia. He does a lot of film dubbing and is the official voice for actors like Daniel Craig, Sean Penn, and Russell Crowe.

This recording uses the definitive Catalan translation by the poet and academic Francesc Parcerisas. His translation is noted for its beautiful, slightly archaic tone that mirrors the “Old English” feel of Tolkien’s original work.

2022 saw an increase in the availability of “Great Classics” in the Catalan language on services like Audible and Storytel. Boixaderas was the “prestige” choice for this rollout. Boixaderas has continued to record other Tolkien works in the region (including the 2024 Spanish/Castilian versions of Beren y Lúthien and La Caída de Gondolin).

Because Boixaderas is the voice of James Bond in Catalonia, some fans jokingly refer to this as the “007 version of Middle-earth” due to the cool, sophisticated edge he brings to the narration.