Majorcan School: Catalan Poetry and Noucentisme

The Majorcan School of Poetry (1840–1950)

The Majorcan School covers a period from 1840 to 1950, featuring prominent teachers such as Joan Alcover and especially Miquel Costa i Llobera. It is now understood that the Majorcan School represents a very specific poetic power, including the contributions of two generations of writers. These poets, grouped in the so-called Majorcan School, presented common thematic and stylistic features. Although contemporary with modernist aesthetics, their work is characterized by formal and stylistic perfection, which led them to become models for Noucentiste poets to imitate.

Core Features of the Majorcan School

• Will of formal perfection: A dedication to technical mastery.
• Nationalism: A traditionalist return to Classical Greek and Latin roots.
• Exaltation of the Mallorcan landscape: A focus on local natural beauty.
• Rural quietude: The projection of a peaceful environment without tension.
• Equilibrium: A balance between subjectivism and emotional intimacy.
• Contention: Restraint in verse and the use of a cultured, refined language.

The Context of Noucentisme

Noucentisme is the result of a specific political situation: the ascent to power of the Catalan bourgeoisie. This shift allowed for the collaboration of political powers with Catalan nationalist intellectuals, fostering a new cultural identity.

Joan Alcover: The Humanization of Art

Joan Alcover began writing in both Catalan and Spanish, but he soon turned to the use of the latter, which initially gave rise to a superficial and inconsequential poetry. However, the tragic loss of his wife and two of his sons drove him toward serious poetry. Amidst a sea of confusion and contradictions, he returned to the Catalan language. His concept of the Humanization of Art refers to art that connects deeply with the problems and feelings of human beings.

Alcover’s Major Works

As a poet and essayist, Alcover eventually adopted Catalan definitively. His work is characterized by beautiful, pure poetry and profound musicality. His primary topics include the feeling of the landscape, elegiac sentiments, and civil themes. His poems are collected in Cap al tard (1909) and Poemes bíblics (1919). While Cap al tard is a collection without strict formal or thematic unity, Poemes bíblics is a book of greater maturity and uniformity. In this later work, life is portrayed as an ongoing drama where death and time are central themes. He recreates subjects taken from scripture, focusing on the less-known protagonists of the Old Testament through a distant and imaginative lens.

Miquel Costa i Llobera: Classical Harmony

Miquel Costa i Llobera, recognized as a Mestre en Gai Saber, produced poetic work of perfect quality. He utilized essential visions of the landscape as an expression of deep elegiac feeling, bridging the gap between Romantic poetry and the twentieth century.

Evolution of Costa i Llobera’s Style

His poetry is collected in Poesies (1885), De l'agre de la terra (1897), Tradicions i fantasies (1903), Poemes (1907), Horacianes (1906), and Visions de Palestina (1908). His first period was Romantic, exemplified by Lo pi de Formentor, which is technically considered the culmination of Catalan Romantic poetry. In De l'agre de la terra (1897), he returned to romantic historicism and narrative to reach a wider public. In contrast, Tradicions i fantasies (1903) and Poemes (1907) sought formal serenity and harmony. This new classicism led to his most important work, Horacianes (1906), which marked his second stage. This book is based on meditation and contemplation using Horatian intellectual models. At a technical level, Horacianes serves as a masterful essay in classical form.