Modernist Narrative and Catalan Literature Evolution
Modernist Narrative
Modernist authors crafted expressive prose, rich in poetic and linguistic devices. Key figures include:
- Santiago Rusiñol: Organized the Cau Ferrat celebrations, a modernist festival in Sitges (1892).
- Total Art: The concept that an artist should master various disciplines (writing, painting, music, etc.).
- Advance Magazine: A central publication for Modernist cohesion.
- Raimon Casellas (1855-1910): Art critic and theorist for La Vanguardia. His work, The Wild Assistant (1901), depicts a priest’s failure to help his community.
- Prudenci Bertrana (1867-1941): Author of Jehoshaphat (1906), exploring sexual depravity through a pastor’s transgressions.
- Josep Pous i Pagès (1873-1952): Life and Death of George Fraginal (1912) portrays a protagonist’s rebellion against family and adversity.
- Caterina Albert (Víctor Català, 1869-1966): Used a male pseudonym. Her masterpiece, Solitude (serialized in Youth, 1904-1905), follows Mila’s isolation in a remote hermitage and her connection with a spiritual shepherd. The novel is notable for its poetic prose and vivid descriptions of mountain landscapes.
- Josep Maria Folch i Torres (1880-1950): A prominent children’s writer.
Novel’s Crisis, Resurgence, and Diversification
Noucentisme prioritized essays and poetry, neglecting the novel, mirroring a broader European trend. The Catalan novel’s revival began in 1925, marked by:
- Normalization of the literary circuit (increased publishers, collections, critics, and translations).
- Consolidation of a significant readership.
- Emergence of new authors.
Types of Narrators
- Modernist: Figures like Prudenci Bertrana and Joan Ferrer Puig continued to write.
- Psychological novelists: Focused on characters’ inner lives, including their sexual, emotional, and familial experiences. Miquel Llor (1894-1966) explored these themes.
- Avant-Garde novelists: Pushed modernism to its limits, exemplified by Francesc Trabal (1899-1957).
- Other authors: Josep Maria de Segarra, Salvador Espriu, Llorenç Villalonga, Pere Calders, and Mercè Rodoreda.
Carles Soldevila (1892-1967)
Born into Barcelona’s liberal bourgeoisie, Soldevila used journalism to promote modern ideas. His novels—Fanny (1929), Eva (1931), and Qian (1933)—center on the psychology of female characters navigating moral conflicts. Fanny, employing interior monologue, tells the story of a middle-class girl who worked as a cabaret chorus girl.