Catalan Fiction in the Franco Years: Evolution and Challenges

The novel, as a genre, demanded considerable economic investment and faced challenges in disseminating its message. The Civil War profoundly disrupted the entire literary landscape for novelists, causing a collapse in the relationship between radical narrative elements. The situation shifted from a pre-war state to a bleak outlook for literary production. Catalan literature of this period can be analyzed through three key pillars:

Key Pillars of Catalan Literature During the Franco Regime

Authors: Classifications and Generations

Novelists can be classified into two main groups:

• Authors who trained in the pre-war period and continued to be prominent, such as Mercè Rodoreda i Gurguí.
• Authors who emerged or were formed after the conflict:
  • Born before 1939 and began publishing in the 1950s (e.g., Baltasar Porcel).
  • Born between 1936 and 1945, these were the 'young authors' who began publishing (e.g., Montserrat Roig, Terenci Moix).

Between these two main groups were authors who had been formed before 1939 and were well-known but had not yet published novels, such as Maria Aurèlia Capmany and Manuel de Pedrolo.

Publishers: Navigating Censorship and Growth

Publishers faced significant obstacles. From the 1960s, censorship began to weaken. During the early years of the dictatorship, two main publishing houses released novels: Selecta and Aymà, which also published medieval classics. From 1960-1962, new publishing houses and editions emerged. The importance of Selecta is also relevant as they sponsored literary prizes, including awards for novels, poetry, and Catalan short stories (e.g., the Premi Sant Jordi de novel·la, Premi Carles Riba de poesia, and Premi Víctor Català de contes).

Readers: Engagement and the Rise of Literary Discourse

Connecting with Catalan literature was challenging for readers, especially if they were accustomed to reading in other languages. Due to a lack of established literary criticism, there was often confusion regarding new works. To address this, subscriptions and reading clubs emerged, providing platforms for readers to inform themselves about books and authors, fostering discussion and critical thought. By the 1960s, some critics began to discuss emerging literary trends and 'fashions'.

Dominant Literary Trends and Trajectories

Under the oppressive Franco regime, Catalan language and literature faced a dire situation, marked by a scarcity of contemporary novelists. Writers were often isolated figures with limited connections, yet three distinct novelistic trends emerged:

Psychological Novel

This trend focuses on a character's thoughts and inner reality, often through stream of consciousness. A prime example is Mercè Rodoreda's La plaça del Diamant (The Diamond Square). This type of novel was dominant until the 1960s.

Neorealist Novel

A new approach to realistic fiction, originating in Italy, emphasizing social issues and everyday life. An example is Ramona, adéu (Ramona, Goodbye).