Literary Giants of Catalan and Valencian Heritage

Bernat Metge

His stepfather introduced him to the Royal Chancellery, where he held important positions and eventually became secretary. Metge was one of the writers significantly influenced by humanism. His most important work is Lo Somni (The Dream), in which he appears and tells the king that he is not in hell.

Jaume Roig

He authored Espill (Mirror) or Llibre de les Dones (Book of Women), a work written using the medieval technique of the noves rimades (new rhymes). He employed short verses and a fast pace. The work is divided into four books where the protagonist recounts her life, detailing various marriages. The woman is depicted as a collection of defects, almost as a human evil. This work has been considered a precedent to the Spanish picaresque novel.

Isabel de Villena

She is the author of Vita Christi, a life of Jesus devoted to the training of nuns. Isabel de Villena offers an apology for women, providing a different view of Jesus' life. The scenes of domestic life and the abundance of diminutives led some to compare it to Jaume Roig's Espill.

Joan Maragall

An emblematic poet of the Modernist movement, his theory of the 'living word' (vitalism) is based on a profound Christian foundation: the love of life and an understanding of human weaknesses. Two notable poems are worth mentioning: Oda a Espanya (Ode to Spain), where he expresses his stance against the war, and Nova Oda a Barcelona (New Ode to Barcelona), in which he laments and criticizes Barcelona. This attitude was characteristic of the Regeneracionisme movement.

Lluís Llach

He was the lead vocalist for Els Setze Jutges (The Sixteen Judges). His song L'Estaca (The Stake) became an anthem for various social and political claims. His themes included the values of freedom, solidarity, respect, and boundless love and tenderness.

Ausiàs March

At a very young age, he participated in military campaigns. King Alfonso V of Aragon appointed him 'Poet of the King' in 1425. He had no legitimate offspring. His work gained wider circulation with the advent of the printing press.

In March's work, the theme of love dominates. Other significant topics include:

• Love Songs: exploring the poet's struggle between spiritual and carnal love.
• Moral Songs: emphasizing the need to live a Christian life.
• Songs of Death: expressing sorrow for the death of his wife.
• Cant Espiritual (Spiritual Song): a plea for divine mercy.
• Circumstantial Poetry: poems on various occasional themes.

March was among the first to abandon the conventional use of Occitan courtly love themes. His work significantly influenced subsequent Valencian poetry. His poetry was deeply personal, moving away from the artificiality of the Occitan language to express genuine emotion. He depicted women as flesh-and-blood individuals, with both virtues and defects, departing from idealized literary models.