Catalan Literature: A Historical Overview
Salvador Espriu’s Literary Project
Salvador Espriu’s work encompasses poetry, drama, and narrative, forming a comprehensive literary project. His writings began around 1929 with the Spanish edition of Israel. During his university years, narrative works such as Dr. Rip, Laia, Aspects, and Ariadne in the Grotesque Labyrinth emerged, alongside plays like Antigone and The Story of Esther.
The Cancçons d’Ariadna (1949), satirical verses set in the world of Arenys de Mar, connected his poetry with his pre-war narrative. Cementiri de Sinera (1946) is an elegy for a world destroyed by war, introducing the theme of meditating on death, a recurring subject in his works. Les Hores is a book of poems divided into three parts, dedicated to beings near death. Senyor Mort presents a satirical take on salvation. El Passeig i el Mur was a book that internalized the experience of a mystical labyrinth, where Espriu explored principles related to Kabbalah, emphasizing the angst and solitude surrounding humanity. The poet expressed the tensions within his community.
Pell de Brau (1960) marked his highest point of public recognition. The poet addresses Catalonia, denouncing the injustices of the Civil War. Espriu advocated for social engagement, and his civic poetry had a significant impact.
Modern Catalan Poetry
Catalan poetry in the 1920s was marked by the gradual loss of the great masters of the pre-war era, such as Carles Riba and J.V. Foix. Poetry of an experimental nature continued to be cultivated, related to the historical avant-garde (for example, Joan Brossa and Gabriel Ferrater). Another aesthetic trend was lyrical realism, which developed various possibilities of post-symbolist poetry (with a decisive influence from Josep Vinyoli).
Over the following decade, poets like Agustí Bartra, Miquel Martí i Pol, and Joan Vinyoli achieved artistic maturity. New names emerged, gaining recognition through literary prizes. Some examples include: Montserrat Abelló, Maria Mercè Marçal, Narcís Comadira, and Miquel de Palol. Some of these poets defended a certain baroque style, while others explored heterodox approaches. For instance, Enric Casasses built an alternative circuit for reciting poetry, and his work has become an essential reference.
Post-Civil War Poetry of the 1970s
Up to 45 authors did not go into exile but chose silence and clandestinity. Poetry became the dominant genre during this period (its diffusion was facilitated by the early publication of texts in clandestine spaces). Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, Carles Riba became a point of reference for young Catalan culture, embodying values such as moral rigor, literary excellence, and faith in culture. J.V. Foix’s formal and linguistic experimentalism, reminiscent of the avant-garde, also played a significant role.
The 1960s saw a debate between symbolist aesthetics and a view of literature as a form of social commitment, known as social or historical realism (with Marxist and Brechtian influences). This movement advocated for involvement in the struggle for individual and social liberation. The Nova Cançó (New Song) movement also gained traction during this time.
Starting in the 1970s, Joan Brossa and J.V. Foix were the most renowned mentors for younger generations. The “Mestres de la Poesia” (Masters of Poetry) group shared a practice of poetry without any purpose other than literature itself and exploring the possibilities of language. In Valencia, poets like Vicent Andrés Estellés, Marc Granell, and Joan Navarro stood out.
Simultaneously, poets like Joan Margarit and Pere Gimferrer distanced themselves from the prevailing trends and leaned towards realism, symbolism, or experimentalism. Other notable poets of this period include: Francesc Parcerisas, Josep Piera, and Miquel Àngel Riera.
Theater Renovation
Language: The science that deals with the analysis of the internal structure of languages, while sociolinguistics studies language use as conditioned by the social context. The former focuses on words, the latter on the people who use them.
Code: An abstract and conventional system of signs used to communicate in a given society.
Dialect: A variety of language used in any specific act of communication.
Standard Variety: Facilitates communication between all speakers of a language community, regardless of their linguistic area, social class, or occupation. It serves as a reference for formal language use and is primarily used in media and education.
Geolinguistics: The science that studies the languages of the world from a spatial perspective. Thanks to this field, we know that linguistic borders rarely coincide with political boundaries. There are small groups of languages with restricted use, often labeled as minority languages.
Minority Language: A language undergoing a process of decline in its public and private use within the same linguistic community.
Bilingualism: The alternative use of two languages by an individual, a social group, or a territory. Types of bilingualism include individual (a person can use both languages), territorial (a geographical area divided into two linguistically distinct zones), and social (within a territorial unit, individuals use more than one language, one learned through family transmission and another belonging to another group).
Language Loyalty: Loyalty to a specific language.
Language Rejection: A negative feeling towards a language, which can lead to its decline.