Àngel Guimerà: Poet and Playwright of the Catalan Renaissance

Àngel Guimerà: Poet and Playwright

Àngel Guimerà rose to prominence in the Renaixença literature as a poet. He was a writer with a worldview that insisted on ethical themes, and characters who relate their own experiences. Some of his early poems even had patriotic Catalan intentions. Guimerà protected his privacy, but his disputes and adaptation process in the country are known, and he agreed to express them in his poetic works. He also agreed to express the adjustment process in the country in his plays and poetry. This explains why we find a preference for marginalized characters.

Early Poetic Success

When Guimerà presented some of his poetical compositions in the Floral Games, he ended up becoming a master of the art, achieving a significant impact. His poetry was not innovative; it was very argumentative and narrative, not abstract, and chaired by the metric domain. He expressed feelings and attitudes that led to idealist and humanist religious or Catalanist positions.

One of the most common poetic areas was settings of great historical or fantastic events, which conveyed not only the ability to compress situations and characters but also to give them more visual aspects and images with greater impact. That way, he achieved theatricality in his poetry, with frequent incorporation of monologue and dialogue, with special attention to the psychological conflicts and passions of his protagonists.

Transition to Theater

All the poetic ability he had was transferred to the theatrical premiere of Gala Placida, his first tragedy. Strongly influenced by the romanticism of Shakespeare and Victor Hugo, he wrote a series of tragedies, some with historical subjects. The climax of this stage is undoubtedly Mar i Cel (Sea and Sky), his most well-constructed and enduring work.

Through his first show, Guimerà demonstrated an artistic ambition as a writer of tragedy that was unknown on the Catalan stage but remained a verse drama far from the dominant aesthetic in Europe. Perhaps it was the theater that should continue to have a loyal and demanding audience, and he managed to create unforgettable characters.

Masterpieces of Realism

Maria Rosa, Terra Baixa (Lowlands), and La Filla del Mar (Daughter of the Sea) are three essential realistic prose dramas with a contemporary atmosphere revolving around the possession of love. In these works, Guimerà managed to materialize his own style, a new form extracted from romantic, realistic, and poetic elements. On the other hand, the author wanted to approach popular environments and therefore could not avoid the realistic view, without idealism. In this sense, Guimerà managed to create truthful atmospheres.

Social and Personal Conflicts

In these three works, Guimerà attempted to reflect social problems, but the social conflict that arises in these works is also covered by issues of interest to the author, and therefore they end up taking center stage. Thus, the theme of possessive love is imposed ahead of issues of social justice that concern the people. He also created characters with an intense passion for tormented psychology and irrepressible desires.

Two Dominant Trends

In the theater of Àngel Guimerà, two very strong trends are presented: the personal tragedy and the romantic realist drama. He wrote monologues from plays with patriotic and religious themes, posed as an alternative to traditional passions. Perhaps one of the most important alternatives was the ambition to bring the show to make a contribution to a modernist whole that included elements of romantic legend and lore.

Later Works and Legacy

The influence of French and Italian companies led Guimerà to the realization of high bourgeois comedy, but he did not feel safe in this dramatic trend and repeatedly tried to return to his traditional line of romantic tragedies.

He achieved dramatic success beyond his homeland: his works were translated into several languages, operas were made, his tragedies were taken to film, and even Hollywood was interested in him. He was also proposed for the Nobel Prize in Literature.