Valencian Literature After the Spanish Civil War: Resilience and Revival
The Impact of the War and Dictatorship
The Spanish Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship had a devastating impact on Valencian culture and literature. Republican institutions were abolished, political parties banned, and freedoms of association, press, thought, and expression suppressed. This intellectual repression led to the persecution of writers, with many facing imprisonment, deportation, or exile.
The cultural landscape became desolate, with a scarcity of writers, editors, and readers. The isolation from external influences further contributed to a literary production that clung to traditional genres and outdated techniques. The few novels published in Catalan during the first two decades after the war largely adhered to 19th-century realism, with some exhibiting melodramatic or sentimental tendencies, or reflecting Catholic or social concerns. Examples include The Ambitions of Alejo (1960) by Henry Valor, Flat Lives (1962) and The Last Servant (1965) by Maria Villarino, And Peace (1953) by Miguel Adlert, and Women Box (1967) by Maria Beneyto.
A Gradual Resurgence
The economic recovery of the 1960s, coupled with increasing pressure on the Franco regime, led to a slight liberalization in some areas of public life and culture. This period witnessed a resurgence of Valencian literature, with the emergence of psychological and realistic novels. These works often featured recurring themes related to the Civil War, as seen in The Diamond Square by Mercè Rodoreda and Uncertain Glory by Joan Sales.
Other novels offered a romanticized portrayal of a bygone era, such as The Orchards by Martí Domínguez Barberà and Bearn by Llorenç Villalonga, which depicts the life of Toni Bearn, an aristocratic intellectual in 19th-century rural Mallorca.
The Literary Contributions of Enric Valor
Valor’s Enduring Legacy
Enric Valor’s significant contributions to Valencian literature include:
- The Tales of Valencia
- Five novels and several short stories
Valor skillfully employed both omniscient and subjective narration, demonstrating a mastery of language and incorporating elements of oral tradition. His tales, rooted in folk narratives, underwent a profound transformation through his refined writing style. His short stories, reminiscent of 19th-century style, are characterized by rich language and explore themes of love and sentimentality.
Valor’s novels share the linguistic and stylistic features of his tales but also draw upon his biographical experiences and deep knowledge of the land. His works chronicle the historical period he lived through, incorporating detailed observations of landscape, geography, toponymy, wildlife, and botany. Without the Promised Land chronicles the early 20th century and World War I, while Beating Time and Beyond the Horizon focus on the Civil War.
Using first-person narration, Valor enhances the reader’s engagement with his fictional world. His protagonists are often families, and his narratives celebrate nature, the mountains, the countryside, and the Valencian language. His literary space is deeply connected to the geography of the Cassana region, encompassing both rural landscapes and mountainous terrain. However, his works transcend mere geographical and chronological specificity.
As Vicent Josep Escartí has written, “Valor is, literally and without exaggeration, in all our novelistic tradition. Without his great work in the cycle of Cassana, Valencia would lose the entire nineteenth century.” This places Valor alongside prominent figures in Catalan literature such as Narcís Oller, Llorenç Villalonga, and Mercè Rodoreda.
Enric Valor created a rich literary legacy that showcased the expressive power of the Valencian language. He stands as a key figure representing the continuity of Valencian linguistic and literary tradition before and after the Spanish Civil War.