Catalan Literature: Key Authors and Movements
Troubadours and Early Catalan Literature
Genres of Troubadour Poetry:
- Sirventes: Glorification of war.
- Cry: Lament for the death of a character.
- Poetic Debate: Debate between two troubadours.
- Pastorela: Amorous dialogue between a troubadour and a shepherdess.
- Alba: Tells of the separation of two lovers after spending the night together.
Notable Troubadours:
- Guillem de Berguedà
- Guillem de Cabestany
- Cerverí de Girona: Wrote in Provençal, with some authors writing in Catalan but with Provençal influences.
Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull is considered:
- The first author to write in Catalan on humanistic and scientific issues.
- A creator of literary language, establishing a model for the use of Catalan in literature.
- Noteworthy for the scale and magnitude of his work.
Llull aimed to convert infidels to Christianity after reportedly experiencing five visions of Jesus. His work often incorporates the number ten, as seen in Blanquerna.
The Four Great Chronicles
- James I: Book of Acts, an autobiographical account detailing the King’s personal shortcomings.
- Bernat Desclot: His chronicle focuses on the reign of Peter II the Great.
- Ramon Muntaner: Covers events from the birth of James I to the coronation of Alfonso IV of Aragon. Characteristics include nationalism, providentialism, and a lively language seemingly intended for oral reading.
- Peter the Ceremonious: Chronicles his own reign and that of his father.
Bernat Metge
Bernat Metge is known for his humanism in Lo Somni (The Dream). This work, divided into four books, narrates a dream where the author encounters King John I in prison.
Ausiàs March
Ausiàs March is considered the creator of Catalan poetry. His work comprises 128 poems, categorized into love songs, death songs, moral songs, and spiritual songs.
Renaixença
The Renaixença was a 19th-century cultural movement that transformed Catalan culture from a traditionalist model to a regional, national, and modern one.
Noucentisme
Noucentisme was a classicizing reaction to Modernism in art and literature, advocating for classicism.
Avant-Garde Movements
- Cubism: Abolished perspective in fine arts, introduced collage, and in poetry, created calligrams.
- Futurism: Initially celebrated modern life but eventually aligned with fascism.
- Dadaism: Emphasized a lack of logic, a taste for the abolition of all conventions, and the destruction of art and culture.
- Surrealism: Advocated for the release and exploitation of the subconscious and the world of dreams.
- Expressionism: Reflected anxiety through exaggeration.
Eugeni d’Ors
Eugeni d’Ors, under the pseudonym “Xènius,” contributed to the newspaper La Veu de Catalunya. He developed Noucentisme thought, characterized by:
- Exaltation of the present.
- Review of the past.
- Imperialism.
- Arbitrarism.
- Classicism and Mediterraneanism (Greece and Rome).
- Emphasis on a job well done.
- Civility.
His work is based on the “gloss” (author’s reflections on political and cultural issues), as seen in La Ben Plantada.
Josep Carner
Josep Carner was known for his irony. His career began with a Modernist poetic stage, followed by a period as a leading representative of Noucentisme poetry (Els Fruits Sabrosos), and later Symbolism (El Cor Inquiet).
J.V. Foix
J.V. Foix was a collaborator with newspapers and magazines and received honors in Catalan literature. His prose-poetry books are grouped by day. His poetic books include Sol, i de Dol, and his prose works include Catalans de 1918.
Joan Salvat-Papasseit
Joan Salvat-Papasseit’s life was marked by autodidacticism, the influence of the avant-garde, an evolution towards socialism, and a disease that led to his death. His work is characterized by a direct tone, sincerity, vitality, and expressive force, as seen in “Poema de la Rosa als Llavis.” He began as an avant-garde writer and developed a personal style.
Carles Riba
Carles Riba was an intellectual poet influenced by post-Symbolism. His first book was Estances, followed by a second book of Estances and Elegies de Bierville.
Salvador Espriu
Salvador Espriu is known for “Cançó de Rem i de Vela” and three narrative poems: “El Mal Caçador,” “Laia,” and “Poema de Nadal.”
Josep Pla
Josep Pla’s El Quadern Gris is a diary written at age 20, offering a review of his formative years. His work is characterized by a taste for description, precise adjectives, the importance of anecdotes, and a tendency to generalize.