Catalan Literature: Authors and Works from Post-War to Present

**Martí i Pol (1929-2003)**

*Sixties Poetry*

Martí i Pol's poetry is deeply rooted in his experiences. These include a textile conference in his hometown, his working-class status (he worked in a factory), his vocation as a poet, and his experience with multiple sclerosis. His first collections, *El Poble* (*The People*) and *La Fàbrica* (*The Factory*), are considered realistic and historical. In 1970, as his disease progressed, he began a process of introspection that led him to reflect on death, loneliness, and the importance of life. This period produced works like *Vint-i-set poemes en tres temps* (*Twenty-Seven Poems in Three Times*) and *L'arrel i l'escorça* (*The Root and the Bark*). He also wrote *Estimada Marta* (*Beloved Marta*) and *Vacances Pagades* (*Paid Holidays*).

**Mercè Rodoreda (1908-1983)**

*Post-War Fiction*

Rodoreda's deep love for her grandfather and for flowers heavily influenced her work. She was a self-taught writer who began publishing stories in newspapers while still attending school. She wrote novels like *Aloma* before the war. After the war, she went into exile in France and later Geneva, where she was exposed to 20th-century European literary trends. Rodoreda was highly innovative and created a rich symbolic universe in her writing. In 1962, she published *La Plaça del Diamant* (*The Diamond Square*), a novel in which the protagonist, Natàlia, recounts her life in the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona, upended by the war.

**Salvador Espriu (1913-1985)**

*Post-War Poetry, Drama, and Prose*

Espriu began writing stories in the 1920s, influenced by European trends. During the war, he continued writing poetry and plays. His two main themes are death, as the tragic fate of humanity, and the destruction of his homeland. His first collection of poems includes *Cementiri de Sinera* (*Sinera Cemetery*), *Les Hores* (*The Hours*), *Mrs. Death*, *El Caminant i el Mur* (*The Wanderer and the Wall*), and *Final del Laberint* (*End of the Labyrinth*). His theatrical works include *Primera Història d'Esther* (*First Story of Esther*) and *Antígona* (*Antigone*).

**Quim Monzó (1952-Present)**

*Contemporary Fiction*

Monzó is an author of short stories, novels, and newspaper articles. He is also a graphic designer, translator, and collaborator on radio and television. He has been particularly influenced by foreign authors, as seen in novels like *Benzina* (*Gasoline*) and *La Magnitud de la Tragèdia* (*The Magnitude of the Tragedy*). His best-known works are collections of short stories, such as *Uf, va dir ell* (*Ugh, He Said*) and *L'Illa de Maians* (*Maians Island*). Monzó creates a shocking portrait of society, eliminating details to reveal its essential nature. His latest publication is a compilation titled *Mil Cretins* (*A Thousand Cretins*).

**Jordi Coca (1941-Present)**

*Contemporary Poetry*

Coca's first novel is *Un dels últims estius* (*One of the Last Summers*). Other prominent works include *Cara d'Àngel* (*Angel Face*) and *Sota la pols* (*Under the Dust*), which show a clear influence of oriental poetry.

**Joan Margarit (1938-Present)**

*Contemporary Poetry*

Margarit is an architect and poet, as well as a professor at the Barcelona School of Architecture. He began writing in Catalan in 1981. His inspiration is deeply personal, stemming from the loss of his daughter, Anna, when she was a baby, and the long illness of another daughter, Joana, who passed away at the age of 30.

**Joan Perucho (1920-2003)**

*Sixties Fiction*

Perucho was a novelist, poet, and art critic who began his career as a journalist. He was initially influenced by surrealism and later transitioned to writing poetic prose. In 1956, he introduced fantastic literature to Catalan literature, using a technique inspired by Lovecraft, which revolves around fantasy and memory.

**Joan Brossa (1919-1998)**

*Sixties Poetry*

Brossa, from Barcelona, belonged to the experimental poetry movement. He worked with traditional stanzas, visual poetry, plays, and film scripts. His work can be divided into three stages:

• Stage 1: After meeting Foix and Miró, he embraced surrealism and the avant-garde.
• Stage 2: In the 1950s, he turned toward political engagement, using short poems filled with ironic messages to denounce the politics of the time.
• Stage 3: During the 1960s, he experimented with visual and object poetry.

**Sergi Pàmies (1960-Present)**

*Contemporary Fiction*

Pàmies is a journalist, writer, and translator. He has published novels such as *La Primera Pedra* (*The First Stone*), *L'Instint* (*The Instinct*), and *Sentimental*, as well as story collections like *La Gran novel·la sobre Barcelona* (*The Great Novel About Barcelona*) and *Si menges una llimona sense fer ganyotes* (*If You Eat a Lemon Without Making a Face*). In the latter, the lemon becomes a metaphor for everyday life.

**Joaquim Amat-Piniella (1913-1974)**

*Post-War Fiction*

Amat-Piniella was a realist novelist who was imprisoned in the Nazi extermination camp Mauthausen. As a result, he wrote *K.L. Reich* (1945), a poignant testimony of the horrors he experienced.