Joan Fuster and J.F. Mira: Valencian Identity Essays
Joan Fuster and the Pursuit of Valencian Identity
Joan Fuster (1922-1992) is a key figure in twentieth-century Catalan literature. He was an intellectual committed to the underprivileged and the pursuit of Valencian identity, linked to all Catalan-speaking territories. His dedication is vast; he wrote humanistic, socio-cultural, and historical essays. His style is fresh, relaxed, and full of colloquialisms. His gaze is subtle, shrewd, ironic, and often caustic.
Fuster had to overcome many adversities: censorship, hostilities, lack of resources, a lack of cultural environment, the media silence of Valencia, civic apathy, etc. The trial of John Carpenter was pursued during the early years of the war because it was considered dangerous for its strong ideological charge.
Key Humanistic Works
- The Discrediting of Reality (1955): A reflection on the function of art and the creative capacity of man.
- Idle Dictionary (1964).
- Man, the Measure of All Things (1967): Deals with the crisis of modern man and the various artistic manifestations.
Socio-Political Texts
His most controversial and influential socio-political texts caused both adhesions and clashes at a time when the end of the regime was in sight:
- Item Name (1962): Examines the controversy over the name of the language, which weakens the national consciousness of Valencia.
- We, the Valencians (1962): A masterpiece. A deep reflection on the past and present of Valencia, where Fuster analyzes shortcomings and frustrations as a people: self-hatred, parochialism, the lack of a committed social force, etc. Carpenter raises national awareness of Valencia as indispensable for the construction of our future.
J.F. Mira’s Reflections on Contemporary Reality
Gianfrancesco Mira reflected in his essays on our contemporary reality. The focus of these reflections is the generic question of identity and all its consequences, especially its political use. Nationalism, the relationship between culture and power, the creation and evolution of identities, the symbols that make up the importance of language to create “collective consciousness”, and the ability to manipulate these elements in favor of very specific interests are central themes.
Many reflections are based on experience, making them much closer and easier to read for his readers. One of his greatest virtues is demonstrating, with a skeptical point of view, that the problems peculiar to Valencia and Catalonia regarding our national condition are not so different from those suffered by many other peoples of the world, even those self-proclaimed “normal”.
Key Works by Mira
- Critique of Pure Nation (1984): Examines the social anthropology of nationalism. Mira undoes a series of topics on the nation, understood as something “pure, clean, and free of contradictions,” to show us what it really is: a social creation, human and dependent on symbols, always under construction. With a solid argument, he provides a critical and exciting point of view that reveals that the “neutral” positions of many theorists are generally enthusiastic about Spanish nationalism.
- About the Nation of Valencia: A reflection on the complicated national membership of Valencia. Mira opts for a “Valencian” way, as far as the dependence on the Spanish intellectual abstraction that the Catalan option represents.
- Culture, Languages, Nations and Tribes.
- About Idols.
These works complement Mira’s reflection on identity as a key element in modern politics.