Josep Carner: Poet, Journalist, and Diplomat

Josep Carner i Puig-Oriol (1884-1970)

Early Life and Career

Josep Carner i Puig-Oriol, born in Barcelona on February 9, 1884, was a prominent Catalan poet, journalist, playwright, and translator. He became a leading figure of the Noucentisme movement. In 1897, he entered the University of Barcelona, where he discovered Catalan literature and graduated in Law and Philosophy. Carner worked for several publications, including Montserrat and Atlantis, and led Catalunya (1903-1905), Emporis (1907-1908), and Catalonia (1913-1914). In 1911, he was appointed a member of the Philological Section of the Institute of Catalan Studies, contributing to the enrichment of the Catalan language.

Journalism and Family

In the early 20th century, Carner joined La Veu de Catalunya, where he wrote until 1928. In 1915, he married Carmen de Chile Ossa (deceased in Lebanon, 1935), with whom he had two children: Anna Maria and Josep.

Literary Contributions and Diplomatic Career

Carner's work renewed Catalan poetry, prose, and language, creating a new style of political journalism. He championed the professionalization of Catalan literature. In 1920, he presented himself in Madrid for a consular corps position, and in March 1921, he joined the diplomatic corps, serving as Vice Consul of Spain in Genoa. During the Spanish Civil War, he remained loyal to the Republic, a decision that prevented his return to Spain.

Exile and Later Life

Carner married Belgian professor and literary critic Émilie Noulet and went into exile, first in Mexico (1939-1945), where he taught at the College of Mexico, and then in Belgium, where he died in 1970 shortly after a brief return to Catalonia.

J.V. Foix (1893-1987)

Early Life and Career

Born on January 28, 1893, in the village of Sarrià, J.V. Foix was the son of a renowned pastry chef. He began studying law at the University of Barcelona but left to continue the family business while pursuing his interest in classic literature. In 1916, he became an editor alongside Joaquin Folguera and published his first poems in 1917. He also animated the journal Consol (1919-1920) and edited L'Amic de les Arts (1926-1928) and Papers de Poesia (1935-1936).

Later Life and Recognition

After the Spanish Civil War, Foix returned to the family business while collecting his poetry and supporting young avant-garde artists. On May 25, 1962, he became a member of the Institute of Catalan Studies. His work gained popularity after Joan Manuel Serrat set his poem "És quan dormo que hi veig clar" to music. Foix received the Gold Award Letter in 1961, the Critics Prize for Catalan Poetry in 1985, the Honor Award of Catalan Letters in 1973, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia in 1981, and the National Prize for Literature in 1984.