Contemporary Catalan and Valencian Literary Figures

Vicent Andrés Estellés: Voice of Valencia

Vicent Andrés Estellés, a progressive nationalist and self-taught literary figure, worked as a journalist in the provinces. He ignited renewed Valencian poetry and, despite a lack of modern tradition, produced a very extensive body of work.

He is considered the poet who best represents the Valencian country in recent years, as he writes about all elements that define Valencian identity. His poetry speaks of everyday reality with great sincerity, conveying feelings such as love, fear, hunger, and death.

His works particularly address the misery of war, political oppression, and the moral anxiety stemming from the monotony of human existence. Estellés is the voice of the people, bearing witness to all reality with a committed attitude.

From 1975, he published Mural of Valencia, a work dominated by happiness and pride in Valencia.

Josep Maria Benet i Jornet: Master of Catalan Drama

Josep Maria Benet i Jornet is a distinguished playwright, screenwriter, and fiction writer who has significantly shaped contemporary Catalan drama. He emerged with a distinctive, recognizable style.

He has written more than fifty critically acclaimed works that delve into universal human problems. His early works explored individual conflicts with a realistic approach, later incorporating theatrical distancing techniques. The characters in his plays often conceal deep passions and frequently struggle to integrate into specific social groups.

His notable works include the trilogy Drudània, Berenàveu a les fosques (You Dined in the Dark), and complex realistic works such as The Disappearance of Wendy.

However, Benet i Jornet is not pigeonholed as solely a playwright of this type of theater; he has also successfully worked in children's and youth theater, notably with Supertot, a superhero parody.

Furthermore, Benet i Jornet is closely involved with the audiovisual world. In addition to continuing to publish theatrical works, he has become the screenwriter for some of the most important and high-audience TV series on TV3 and TVE. His dedication is notable in drama series such as Poble Nou, La saga dels Rius (Saga of the Rivers), and as a screenwriter for Amar en tiempos revueltos (Love in Troubled Times) and La Señora (The Lady).