Joan Fuster's Diccionari per a ociosos: Context and Humanist Essays
Context
Published in 1964, when the Franco regime began to open up internationally and lifted prior censorship of publications in Catalan.
The tragic situation of post-war Spain had been accentuated by the consequences of the Second World War, both economically and politically, as well as philosophically and culturally.
- Existentialism became an emblem of this moral and creative crisis. Writers showed their commitment to a progressive and critical vision of social and cultural problems.
- As a result of the civil rights movements of the time, the Nova Cançó emerged, whose objective was to normalise and defend the use of Catalan by singing contemporary songs in this language.
- Throughout the 1950s, the publishing circuit managed to emerge from clandestinity and recover its creative strength; periodical press also grew steadily.
- As for the essay, it diversified and works beyond national themes began to be published. The essay was perceived as a genre capable of influencing society, so political reflection would be crucial for young generations in need of information.
2. Diccionari per a ociosos
Diccionari per a ociosos belongs to the humanist essay block, which Fuster preferred over other works. Six modalities of Fusterian humanist essays:
- Structured around a single theme
- The systematic dictionary
- Compilation of articles and brief essays on a similar theme
- The aphorism
- The diary (dietari)
- Collections of press articles
These essays represent an effort to understand men, things, facts and times, which Fuster also hopes readers will undertake. These universal interests place his literature within the European humanist thought of the 16th century, a current based on reason.
Systematic scepticism serves as a remedy against ideologies and the uniformisation of thought. Fuster is part of the group of Catalan essayists because his literary and cultural vision embraces the entire territory of the Catalan domain.
Additionally, Fuster dedicates himself, within the block of Cultural History Studies, to the investigation of our literature and our classics.