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 he
first examples of Catalan literature were medieval and its authors
were based equally in the north and the south of Catalonia.
The Catalan language, harmonised in the 12th Century was favoured
at the birth of a universal point of reference. Ramon Llull,
born on Majorca in 1232 and today translated in a number of
countries, was a philosopher, polyglot and traveler. Llull wrote
250 works in Catalan, Latin and Arabic. He described humanity
in the political fable Fèlix o Llibre de les Meravelles.
The troubadors multiplied, especially in the north; Ponç
d’Ortafà, Formit de Perpinyà and Guillem de Cabestany,
born in 1162 and made famous in Europe by the legend surrounding
his death. Guillem was in love with the Lady of the Manor, Saurimonda,
who was married to Lord Ramon de Castell Rosselló. Upon
discovering this infatuation Lord Ramon killed Guillem and offered
the unsuspecting Saurimonda a meal of his heart.
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| Joan-Daniel
Bezsonoff,
the new generation |
The
golden century of Catalan literature, the 15th Century, was
that of the authors Ausiàs March, Bernat Metge and Joanot
Martorell. However, the political instability weakened the literature
of the north for two centuries to follow. After the French annexation
in 1659 Catalan was confined to the Church, but religious theatre
still existed until the end of the 19th Century. Until the first
half of the 20th Century the most popular North Catalan works
were those of Un Tal by Albert Saisset which were humorous scenes
of life called Catalanades. Playing on their popular success
were the works of his contemporaries and successors; Josep Bonafont,
Joan Amade, Pere Puiggari and Esteve Caseponce. At this time
the renewal of South Catalonia, the Renaixença (Renaissance)
gave confidence to the literature of the north, comforted further
by the opening of the Institute of Catalan Studies in 1907.
Since then the writers of North Catalonia challenge the south.
The poet, dramatist, narrator and water-colourist Josep Sebastià
Pons (1886-1962) was recognised as the best North Catalan writer
of his generation. He preceded the writer Jordi Pere Cerdà,
born in 1920. Since the 1980s Josiana Cabanas, Jordi Carbonell
and Renada Laura Portet have freed themselves from the rurality,
a trait reinforced ever since. Joan-Daniel Bezsonoff, Joan Lluís
Lluís and Miquel Sargatal represent the new generation,
who are often published in Barcelona.
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