Essential Catalan Literature: Four Iconic Authors

Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel (1913–1938)

Literary Work

His poetry is short but dense. He adopted patterns of Baroque and Culterana poetry alongside classicizing elements. Key works include Nou Poemes (1933) and Quadern de Sonets (1934). Published posthumously was Imitació del Foc (1938).

Topics and Figures

His work features world competitions dominated by a game of opposites with a symbolic sense. He was clearly influenced by Baudelaire, and comparisons are drawn between him and the Angels (mediators between earth and heaven). There is an abundance of adjectivization, epithets, and superlatives. His metrics range from strict standards to free verse.

Literary Trends

• Early Period (Pre-1936): Investigation of pure poetry and a break with the Majorcan school.
• Post-1936: His work shows a stylistic change in coordinates, where poetry becomes an element of social complaint.

Miquel Martí i Pol (1929–2003)

Key Characteristics

• Linked to his native town.
• The working condition of textile manufactures.
• Impact of multiple sclerosis in the 1970s.
• Commitment of the poet to his social class.
• Early meditation and questioning of his life and the world.
• The fruits of his poetry first appeared in 1948.

Major Works

Estimada Marta (1978), Vint-i-set poemes en tres temps (1972), La pell del violí (1974), and Cinc esgarrapades a la paret (1975).

Stages of His Career

• 1st Stage (1948–1970): Existential reflection (1948–1956) followed by social implication (1957–1970).
• 2nd Phase (1971–1975): The emergence, progression, and stabilization of his disease.
• 3rd Phase (1976–1985): A desire to live intensely (1976–1982) and the consciousness of death leading to a new burst of life (1983–1985).
• 4th Stage (1986–2003): Maturity, inner reflection, and solitude.

Mercè Rodoreda (1908–1983)

Life and Exile

During the Spanish Civil War, she worked for the Generalitat of Catalonia and was forced into exile. She returned to Catalonia in the 1970s.

Literary Work

Aloma (1938), La plaça del Diamant (1962), and Mirall trencat (1974).

Narrative World

• Influence of autobiographical elements and the myth of childhood.
• Interest in character psychology.
• The man-woman relationship.
• Reflection on the passing of time.
• Fantastic and esoteric elements.
• The extensive use of symbols.

Llorenç Villalonga (1897–1980)

Life and Career

He studied medicine and specialized in psychiatry. During the Spanish Civil War, his work appeared mythologized, particularly in Bearn.

Major Works

Mort de dama (Death of a Lady) and Bearn o la sala de les nines.