Post-War Catalan Literature: Key Authors and Themes
Notable Authors
Pere Calders (Post-War Fiction)
In 1936, Pere Calders published his first collection of stories, The First Harlequin. Characteristic of his work is the interplay between reality and the supernatural or magic, often employing humor and irony. Notable works include Units Shock Tomorrow at Three O’Clock in the Morning and Here Lies Nevares.
Pere Quart (Post-War Poetry)
Pere Quart began his career with satirical works and participated in the avant-garde movement. He published his first collection of poems, The Beheadings, and continued with works such as Land of Shipwrecks and Paid Holidays. While his poetry initially featured a satirical tone, after experiencing war and exile, his themes shifted to pain, longing, loneliness, and death.
Joan Vinyoli (Sixties Poetry)
Joan Vinyoli experienced a childhood fraught with economic difficulties. Influenced by the poetics of post-symbolism and the pure poetry of Carles Riba, Vinyoli viewed poetry as a tool for knowledge. His work explores existence and the transience of time, covering topics of love, death, and poetry.
Francesc Parcerisa (Current Poetry)
Francesc Parcerisa is a translator and literary critic. His early work tends toward realism, and his poetry is highly elaborate. Notable works include Triumph of the Present, Fires of October, and Still Life with Children.
Maria Mercè Marçal (Current Poetry)
Maria Mercè Marçal was a poet and novelist committed to the struggle against Franco’s regime and to feminism. Her poetry demonstrates formal and linguistic variety, addressing themes such as love between women, loneliness, isolation, and rebellion. Her works include Den of Moons and Currency.
Marta Pessarrodona (Current Poetry)
Marta Pessarrodona is a scholar of European literature, a militant feminist, and an active figure in the cultural world. She has conducted thorough studies and dissemination of authors. Her works include September, Animals, and Plants.
The Narrative of War
Literature reflects the traumatic experience of war in all its facets: the pain, the defeat of a homeland, and the loss of freedom. Post-war literature often conveys a sense of loss, presenting a personal portrait of collective tragedy. Psychological novels predominate, exploring the intimate feelings and thoughts of characters. Some authors employ fantasy and symbols to indirectly address a reality they reject.
Post-War Poetry
Post-war poetry encompasses the main trends of the twentieth century: experimental poetry, post-symbolism, and existential poetry. The experiences of war and the harsh post-war period produced poetry that laments the situation and rebels against injustice.
Theater of War
Theater was the genre most affected by Franco’s repression during the initial stage, with Catalan representations prohibited between 1939 and 1946. Josep Maria de Segarra was the first playwright to debut with The Fortunes of Salvia and Galatea. Excluding Segarra’s comic theater and some other authors, significant developments did not occur until the creation of the Grup Lost in Barcelona in 1955.
Antigona by Salvador Espriu
Antigona by Salvador Espriu is a recreation of the myth that inspired Sophocles’ classic tragedy of the same name. Espriu wrote his work in March 1939, shortly before the end of the Civil War. While following the plot outline of the Greek tragedy, it emphasizes the theme of war between brothers and the need for reconciliation.