Catalan literature

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Catalan literature includes the literature of the so-called Catalan Countries , which in Catalan (or its variant Valencian was written). Catalan was the second oldest Romance literary language after Occitan .

Ramon Llull laid the foundation stone for an independent literature in the Catalan language in the 13th century when he no longer wrote his sermon texts in Latin. It was mainly through him that Catalan became a mature literary and scientific language 30 years before Dante .

While Joanot Martorell presented the last great work of the Catalan Middle Ages with the chivalric novel Tirant lo Blanc and, in the eyes of some literary scholars, at the same time the first modern novel - Cervantes described it in his Don Quixote  as "the best book in the world" - the Catalan language learned because of the political situation a decline that lasted until the second half of the 19th century. Then the cultural movement of the Renaixença introduced a new beginning for Catalan literature. After the end of the Franco dictatorship, it flourished again and in its top performances it comes close to the best works of modern European literature.

Creation of Catalan literature

Ramon Llull (manuscript from ca.1321)

The oldest language testimonies in Catalan include the Homilies d'Organyà collection of sermons (approx. 1200) and early versions of the Feudal Code Usatges de Barcelona (from 1204). The Crónica des Jaume I (written between 1242 and 1265) ushered in the phase of literary use of Catalan. The theologian, philosopher and writer Ramon Llull (approx. 1236–1316) from Mallorca , the Franciscan Francesc Eiximenis (approx. 1330–1409) and the nobleman and poet Ausiàs March (approx. 1397–1459) are the most important Catalan writers Language in the Middle Ages. Jordi de Sant Jordi (* around 1398, † around 1424 ) is influenced by the poetry of the Trobadors as well as by Petrarch . At this time of the heyday of knight culture in the Catalan regions, chronicles, chivalric novels, trobador songs and Lletres de batalla ( feuding letters ) no longer appeared in Old Occitan , but in Catalan. This brilliant epoch reached its climax in 1490 with the publication of the chivalric novel Tirant lo Blanc by Joanot Martorell (1415–1465), who was probably born in Gandia and who tried to lead a knightly life without much success. Jaum Roig († 1478), who wrote the verse novel Espill (“Der Spiegel”), which was directed against the idealization of the image of women in trobador poetry, and the priest are among the authors of the great “Century of Literature of Valencia” Joan Roís de Corella (1435–1497), whose lyrical and prose work already refers to the Renaissance.

The nun Isabel de Villena (1430–1490) also wrote her Vita Christi (first printed in 1497) in the Valencian dialect, making use of a lively everyday language. Because of this only work that has come down to us, she is now considered a protofeminist .

Beginning of the last chapter of the original edition of Tirant lo Blanc

From the 16th century onwards, due to the hegemony of Castilian, Catalan as a literary language began to decline. Nevertheless, the clergy and poet Vicenç Garcia (approx. 1582–1623), the playwright and poet Francesc Fontanella (1622–1681 / 85), who had to flee to France because of secessionist aspirations, and Josep Romaguera (1642–1723 ) performed in the Baroque era ) with his poems and the emblem book for the moral improvement of the individual Atheneo de grandesa made important contributions to Catalan literature, which was almost completely extinct by the end of the 18th century.

19th century: Renaixença and naturalism

Angel Guimerà

Catalan as a literary language revived in the second third of the 19th century with the Renaixença ; it towered Jacint Verdaguer , Àngel Guimerà and Narcís Oller out that the late romanticism and the realism Act. Verdaguer became known for poetry and above all the two epics Atlàntida and Canigó , Guimerà wrote plays such as Terra Baixa , which served as the template for the opera Tiefland . Oller is considered a realistic or naturalistic novelist, whose work was praised by Émile Zola . Modernism flourished at the end of the 19th century , the most important representative of which is Joan Maragall .

20th century until the Spanish Civil War

In the 20th century - despite adverse conditions during the dictatorships de Rivera and Franco - Catalan literature consolidated . Authors such as the first modern Catalan poet Josep Carner (1884–1979), the futuristic-influenced social activist Joan Salvat-Papasseit (1894–1924), whose poems were often set to music, the poet and philologist Carles Riba (1893–1939), the Travel writer Josep Pla and the poet, novelist and author of numerous plays Josep Maria de Sagarra were among the early exponents of Catalan modernism. Sagarra's novel Vida privada (1932) about the decline of the Barcelona aristocracy sparked a social scandal.

The Franco dictatorship

Catalonia, which was independent from 1936 to 1938, fought alongside the Republicans against Franco's fascists in the Spanish Civil War. After the fall of Barcelona and the complete defeat of the Catalans and the Spanish Republic , Catalan cultural activities were banned by the new head of state and dictator General Francisco Franco . The use of the Catalan language in public was severely punished, especially in the early years, there was no Catalan school system and the printing of Catalan books was banned.

Many Catalan authors went into exile, such as the poet and playwright Joan Oliver (pseudonym: Pere Quart, 1899–1986). Manuel de Pedrolo (1918–1990) had several problems with censorship with his realistic novel. The poet Miquel Martí i Pol (1929–2003) temporarily worked underground politically and did not publish on a larger scale until the 1980s. Salvador Espriu (1913–1985) had started writing in Spanish before the war; since 1946 he published his poems in Catalan, and he too came into conflict with the state on several occasions. The avant-garde Joan Brossa began his experiments with visual poetry, which is more abstract and less language-dependent, as early as the 1960s and became widely known through them since the 1980s. Josep Vicenç Foix (1893–1987), who devoted himself to the family business for a while after the civil war, is one of the avant-garde poets .

In Mexico , a small community of Catalan exiles formed. Several newspapers and literary magazines were published there in the Catalan language. Most of the few Catalan books that appeared during this period were printed in Andorra . The production of Catalan books within the Spanish state increased only very slowly and in line with the gradual easing of cultural oppression. However, until Franco's death in 1975 there was not a single Catalan daily newspaper, and the annual production of Catalan books barely exceeded 400 in the early 1970s - whereas it is around 8,000 today.

Transition and democracy

After Franco's death in 1975 and the transition to democracy ( Transición ), the political repressive measures against Catalan culture ceased. In 1979 Catalonia became an autonomous community within Spain , followed shortly afterwards by València and the Balearic Islands .

Mercè Rodoreda

Authors who had made a name in the past few decades, could now freely publish by the censor their books and put them into circulation: Rodoreda with their psychological novels and stories which critically dealt with the Civil War period and the post-war years, Manuel de Pedrolo with A total of around 100 works in a variety of genres, including the science fiction novel El mecanoscrit del segon origen , or Montserrat Roig , which presented the monumental essay Els catalans als camps nazis on the fate of Catalans, that of Franco in National Socialist Concentration camps had been sent, mainly to Mauthausen, Austria . This generation could easily write Catalan because of the schooling they had received before 1939. The poets and translators Feliu Formosa , who did a great job conveying German literature to Catalonia, and Gabriel Ferrater , who worked for Rowohlt Verlag , came back to Catalonia in 1963 and did not live to see the end of the dictatorship, also fell in contrast to not difficult for the younger generation.

Pere Calders ' short stories (1912–1994) show the influences of the works of Franz Kafka , Edgar Allan Poe , Jules Vernes , HG Wells and magical realism.

Regionalisms and the difficulties of social modernization are reflected in the works of newer authors. With the novel Pedra de tartera (1985; German: "Like a stone in scree" 2007) Maria Barbal succeeded in a bestseller with 50 editions that describes the archaicisms of her homeland in the Pyrenees. Their scenario also forms the background for the work of Pep Coll (* 1949). Jesús Moncada describes in Die versinkende Stadt (German 2002) the downfall of his hometown through a dam project.

Radio and television play an important role in the dissemination of Catalan literature because of the large number of people who do not read in Catalan. The narrator and novelist Quim Monzó (* 1952) began his career as a war correspondent; he also works for the radio. His novels are influenced by Kafka, Borges and Rabelais. Jaume Cabré , who since the 1970s has repeatedly emerged with short stories and novels, also worked for television and the theater and was active as an essayist. Newspapers are also an important medium for younger writers, for example for the architect Miquel de Palol , whose numerous novels have also been translated into other languages ​​and who works as a literary critic.

Jaume Cabré (2006)

The 21st century

At the beginning of the 21st century, the number and quality of publications in Catalan literature increased considerably. The authors Julià de Jòdar and Albert Sánchez Piñol ( La pell freda , 2002; Eng. “In the intoxication of silence”) are to be emphasized . New forms were also developed: Empar Moliner not only writes stories, but also newspaper chronicles and works for television.

Jaume Cabré continued to develop thematically and stylistically. The German translation of his novel Les veus del Pamano (2004; Eng . "The Voices of the River") was sold 500,000 times in Germany. Of Jordi Puntí (* 1967) published "The wrong journeys of Gabriel Dela Cruz" in 2013 in German.

Catalan authors outside of Catalonia

Valencia

In the north of the Autonomous Community of Valencia , a western Catalan dialect ( valenciano , "Valencian") is spoken. The poet Vicent Andrés Estellés (1924-1993) tried to revive the Valencian idiom . Writing authors living here such as Enric Sòria (* 1958), who also translated the works of Franz Kafka , and Martí Domínguez (* 1966), who also works as a biologist in addition to his writing activities, use the orthography that is customary in the rest of the Catalan language area.

Mallorca

The Mallorcan Llorenç Villalonga (1897–1980) also wrote in Catalan . His novels ( Mort de Dama 1931; Bearn 1961) tell of the decline of the Mallorcan nobility and traditional island society. Baltasar Porcel (1937–2009) left his homeland Mallorca and went to Barcelona; Probably the largest part of his extensive work, which encompassed the most varied of genres from novels to non-fiction and theater plays to television programs, is dedicated to the island. Gabriel Janer Manila (* 1946) mainly writes books for children and young people and wrote the life story of the wolf child Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja based on his stories.

Roussillon

Contemporary authors from Catalan-speaking Roussillon in south-western France are Joan-Lluís Lluís , who now lives in Barcelona, ​​and Joan-Daniel Bezsonoff .

Andorra

In the small state of Andorra , too, with independence in 1993, Andorran literature in the Catalan language emerged. The small Pyrenees sent seven representatives to the 2007 Frankfurt Book Fair , to which Catalan literature was invited, including the novelist Joan Peruga and the poet Teresa Colom .

Literary prizes

The Catalan countries organize a relatively large number of literary competitions, which are sponsored either by state and municipal bodies or private institutions such as large banks. Important Catalan literary prizes are the Prize of the Catalan Writers 'Association, the Premio de la Crítica de narrativa catalana of the Critics' Association, the Creu-de-Sant-Jordi Prize of the regional government for services to the Catalan language and culture and the privately donated, non-endowed prize , but since 1956 awarded and prestigious Premio Lletra d'Or . Further literary prizes are listed below:

  • Jocs Florals de Barcelona
  • Jocs Florals de Calella
  • La Catalana de Lletres
  • Premium Carlemany
  • Premi Carles Riba de Poesia
  • Premis Castellitx
  • Premi de la Crítica Serra d'Or - the cultural magazine Serra d'Or
  • Premi de Poesia Joan Perucho
  • Premi de Poesia Sant Cugat
  • Premi d'Honor de les Lletres Catalanes , is considered one of the highest awards for authors of the Catalan language
  • Premis literaris de Tortosa
  • Premio Joan Crexells (1928–1938 and since 1982)
  • Premi Joanot Martorell
  • Premi Josep Pla
  • Premi Ramon Llull
  • Premi Ramon Muntaner
  • Premi Sant Jordi de novella , an important novel prize

Writer of Catalan literature

(A selection of the most important authors):

13th Century

14th Century

15th century

16th Century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

See also

Web links

literature

  • Andorra cap a la literatura , Miquela Valls, Editorial Maià, Andorra la Vella 1992, ISBN 978-9992051047 .
  • Iniciació a la història de la literatura catalana , Maria Àngels Bosch and Pilar Puimedon, El Punt / Edhasa, Barcelona 1985, ISBN 84-350-5114-5 .
  • Literary Andorra , edited by the Andorran government, Coord. Inés Sánchez, Andorra la Vella 2007, ISBN 978-99920-0-465-4 .
  • Literatura catalana contemporània , Glòria Bordons and Jaume Subirana, EDIUOC, Barcelona 1999, ISBN 978-8495131157 .
  • Narrative new beginnings. The Catalan novel of the present , Pilar Arnau i Segarra / Gero Arnscheidt / Tilbert Dídac Stegmann / Manfred Tietz (eds.), Berlin 2007, edition tranvia / Verlag Walter Frey, ISBN 978-3-938944-13-4 .
  • four after. Catalan poetry based on the avant-garde . Translation by Axel Sanjosé. Munich 2007. Lyrik Kabinett , ISBN 978-3-938776-09-4 .
anthology
  • Johannes Hösle (ed.): Catalan narrators. Manesse, 2007.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Short biography at www.valenciaplaza.com
  2. ↑ Francesc Fontanella: Antologia poètica , Ed. Curial, Barcelona 1998.
  3. ↑ Una novela de Sagarra, al cine , in: El País , December 19, 1982.