Catalan Poets: Francesc Vicent Garcia to Segarra
Francesc Vicent Garcia
This poem was written by Francesc Vicent Garcia, a Baroque author of the 16th-17th century. He lived in the modern era, a time greatly affected by historical events such as wars and epidemics. Born in Tortosa, he died in Vallfogona. His poetry was varied and was released a few years after his death.
In terms of style, the Baroque movement had a rapid spread throughout Europe. It is characterized by opposition to the preceding Renaissance movement; the values it offered were no longer valid for the society of the time. This led to a feeling of disappointment and pessimism. The attempt to avoid the unpleasant world led to escapism sought by artists in their works. Therefore, the themes of the works were linked to this feeling: the transience of life, the passage of time, as well as the grotesque and the loss of harmony, among other major issues, all attempting to express disagreement. All this led to two variants of Baroque literature specifically expressing feelings. Conceptisme had a satirical and burlesque line in which Francesc Vicent Garcia was very prominent. And then Culteranismo, which was related to the Renaissance as it sought the expression of beauty in the same way as the older movement.
Jacint Verdaguer
This poem was written by Jacint Verdaguer in the 19th century, which is in the middle period. Born in Vic and died in Vallvidrera, he helped to teach again and make it reach the general public. This made it regain the old festival of *Jocs Florals* (Floral Games). He dedicated himself to religious life and served as a chaplain. Focusing on his work, he was a great poet, but he also excelled as a prose writer. Highlights include *Canigó* and *L’Atlàntida*.
Regarding Verdaguer’s style, he was one of the leading representatives of Romanticism, a movement that appeared in the 19th century and caused great changes in culture and in the way of conceiving the aesthetic of the time. It valued imagination and fantasy. It reviewed the national reality and freedom of the town, sought to highlight emotions such as depression, and rejected Neoclassicism.
Josep Carner
This poem was written by Josep Carner in the 20th century. The most important events of the era in which he lived were the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Franco, along with the Spanish Civil War. Born in Barcelona in 1884 into a family of intellectuals, he was able to enter the world of letters from childhood. He had a passion for literature from an early age, and at age twelve, he published his first poetry. He worked actively in the Institute of Catalan Studies and fled to Mexico because of the Francoist repression. He died in 1970 in Brussels.
Noucentisme is a cultural movement that began with the creation of *Solidaritat Catalana* and ended with the coup of Primo de Rivera. Noucentisme represents the imposition of reason, order, and clarity, following Greco-Latin models. It values intelligence more than sensitivity.
Josep Maria de Segarra
This poem was written by Josep Maria de Segarra in the 20th century, the contemporary era. Relevant historical facts to highlight are the Spanish Civil War, which spans the period in which the author wrote most, and the Second World War, which was also very important.
The author was born in Barcelona, the son of an aristocratic family. He studied law and began to frequent the literary coteries of the city. He was associated with Josep Carner and Joan Maragall and lived in Madrid and Paris because of exile. The European interwar period (1936-1939) corresponds to the defeat of Noucentisme and the appearance of new aesthetic movements that came during the turbulent years of the Second Republic. In the literary field, we find a variety of trends:
- Post-symbolist poetry: Symbolism is characterized by wanting to replace reality with the idea, the concept of pure poetry (not very rational and aesthetic), and the use of forms and content from previous literature, although they react against them.
- Influence of the European avant-garde: There is hostility towards the common language and a search for creative originality above all, declining tradition. However, in the case of poetry, romantic aesthetics always hold true.