Catalan Novel: From Noucentisme Revival to Civil War Narrative

Crisis, Renewal, and Diversification of the Catalan Novel

Noucentisme prioritized poetry and the essay and did not give much importance to the novel. The Catalan novel experienced a strong revival starting in 1925. The resumption of the novel led to a notable increase in publishers, collections, and critics specializing in the genre, translations of foreign novelists, the creation of literary prizes for novels, and the consolidation of an important reading public.

Trends and New Authors in the Novel Revival

The rise of the novel involved different trends and the emergence of new authors:

• Modernist narrators who had ceased writing during the Noucentiste period, such as Prudenci Bertrana and Joan Puig i Ferreter.
• The psychological novel, which focused on the characters' inner lives and their sexual, emotional, or family conflicts. Key authors include Miquel Llor and Carles Soldevila.
• The avant-garde novel, cultivated by Francesc Trabal. Other authors followed a very personal trajectory, such as Josep Maria de Sagarra or Juan Sebastian Arbó (1902–1984).

Carles Soldevila (1892–1967)

Carles Soldevila (1892–1967) was born in Barcelona into a family of the liberal bourgeoisie. He aimed to modernize the character and ideas of this social class through journalism and literature. Noteworthy novels include Fanny (1929), Eva (1931), and Valentina (1933), which focus on the psychology of female characters experiencing moral conflicts resolved in a civilized manner. Fanny is notable for its use of the technique of interior monologue and the scandal caused by the subject matter: a bourgeois woman who has worked as a chorus girl.

Narrative of the Civil War, Exile, and Post-War Period

These works testify to the war, the horror of concentration camps, and the experience of exile:

• War is the central theme of novel chronicles, such as Unitats de xoc (Shock Units) by Pere Calders, or 556 Brigada Mixta (556 Mixed Brigade) by Cristòfor Taltavull (or similar war chroniclers).
• The camps are portrayed in novels like K.L. Reich by Joaquim Amat-Piniella, and Xabola by Agustí Bartra.
• Exile, and the difficulties of adapting to the new world (often America), are basic topics covered. For example, in the novel Tots tres surten de l'ombra (All Three Emerge from the Shadow) by Vicenç Riera Llorca, or the compilation of stories La ciutat i el tròpic (The City and the Tropic) by Lluís Ferran de Pol.