Josep Carner: Master of Noucentisme and Catalan Poetry

Josep Carner and the Noucentisme Movement

The work of Josep Carner (1884-1970) is one of the most important contributions to the Noucentisme movement. The contribution of poetry to the possible realization of an ideal Catalonia is central to his work. While the poet is not an ideologue or a politician, he plays an important role in promoting a certain mood and imaginative truths that help build a country that believes in its potential as a collective.

Language and the Construction of a National Identity

His poetic activity involved hard work surrounding the dignity of the Catalan language. Josep Carner created a noble, refined language that increasingly sought ironic precision and accuracy, moving far away from Modernist literature.

Key Works and Poetic Evolution

Early Masterpieces and Mediterranean Classicism

In the play "The Fruits are Tasty" (1906), he established a poetic conception that had a great echo in areas identified with the literary, political, and cultural projects of Noucentisme. Under the pretext of describing different fruits, he reflects on the passage of time, strengthening the evaluation of moral elements that tuned into the mentality of the bourgeoisie.

"Doggerel and Fans" (1914) is a work that can be considered the expression of rich and diverse Noucentista poetry. The book offers everything the poet learned during his early period, representing a Mediterranean classicism where art shows an extraordinary richness of themes, shapes, and colors.

Love, Symbolism, and Later Reflections

In "The Word in the Wind" (1914), Carner shows a change of style in the treatment of the theme of love. There is a more intense involvement of the poet and an internalization of the painful experience of love. Carner achieved a more meditative poetry—influenced significantly by English Romanticism—and determined the acceptance of certain Symbolist techniques that enriched the possibilities of the lyric voice.

In "The Heart Still", a major change occurs in Carner's poetry: the poems are characterized by an atmosphere of uncertainties and anguish, moving away from idealization. From this point forward, his poetry expresses two main trends:

• Post-Symbolist influence: This reached its peak with the publication of "Nabí" (1941), his most important poetic work, which offers a reflection on the human condition and religious experience.
• Adaptation of Symbolism: Seen in books such as "Spring in the Village" (1935).