Barcelona

A luminous outsider

The incredibly blue sea, the delicious tapas, the unprecedented football play, the colorful Gaudí architecture: everything in Barcelona sparkles, including its literature. Not only did she bring forth authors like Carlos Ruiz Záfon (1964), Eduardo Mendoza (1943) and Merce Rodoreda (1908-1983), but she is also the home of numerous literary organisations who create a vibrant literary scene.

Barcelona has many literary café’s like Bar (H)original, which organises poetry readings on a weekly basis, and has, like Utrecht, a lively poetry slam scene. Combined with the fact that most literary publishers and agencies moved to the Catalan capital over the last few years, one can only conclude that Barcelona is the absolute literary centre of Spain. The connection between Barcelona and literature even goes a step further: literature has always been solidly anchored in the unique Catalan culture.

Catalonia: a remarkable outsider

The region of Catalonia and its capital Barcelona are part of Spain, while the political centre is situated in Madrid. Still, the Catalan people look at this matter in a slightly different way. Ever since Catalonia was formed at the beginning of the 12th century, she has always had a strained relation with nearby Castilia and its capital Madrid. The somewhat difficult relationship between Barcelona and Madrid thus has deeper roots than some rivalry about a football derby.

Compared to the rest of the Spanish empire, the Catalan people have always been outsiders. Not only because of their continuing feud with the Castilians, but also because of their own remarkable culture. Over the years, the Catalans have continuously emphasized their ‘being different’. As the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona bears the most marks of the unique Catalonian identity. The typical Catalonian gothic architecture, for example, is represented in the best possible way in the Barri Gòtic (the Gothic Quarter) around the Catedral de Santa Eulàlia. And the spectacular buildings of Gaudí, like the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera en Park Güell bear witness to the modernist movement at the end of 19th century in which artists and architects tried to develop a typical Catalan style.

Despite all of these architectural gems, nothing unites the Catalan community as much as their own language: Catalan. The development of Catalonia and the Catalan language have gone hand in hand. In times of repression, like the years after the War of the Spanish Succession at the beginning of the 18th century, the Catalan language disappeared to the background. Many works have been written about an other dark period in the Catalan history: the Spanish Civil War in the thirties of the 20th century. Take, for example, the overwhelming work The voices of Pamano from Jaume Cabré (1947) or Colometa from Merce Rodoreda. This war made way for the dictatorship of general Francisco Franco. From the fourties till the late sixties he intended to destroy the entire Catalan culture, including the Catalan language. However, when Catalonia flourished, its language did as well. At the end of the 19th century it was, for example, the main language of the Renaixenca (the Catalan cultural rebirth) and nowadays Catalan is again used widely.

The strong Catalan literary traditions

In a culture where language plays such a central role as in the Catalonia, literature is unavoidably of great importance. The literary activities that are organised in Barcelona reflect the prominent position of literature within the Catalan culture life. Take for example the Diada de Sant Jordi (The Day of Saint George, patron of Barcelona) which is celebrated every year on April 23d, the same day as World Book Day. Traditionally women are given roses and men are given books on this day, transforming Barcelona in one giant rose- and bookstore. What would be a better indicator of Barcelona’s fascination for literature?

The Jocs Florals (the Flower Games) are also a tradition that shows the ancient connection of Catalan culture with literature. This poetry competition in Catalan language was held for the first time almost 700 years ago and it has formed the beginning of many literary careers. For example, the talent of writer Caterina Albert i Paradís (1869-1966), better known as her male pseudonym Víctor Català, was recognized for the first time when she won the Jocs Florals in 1898. Nowadays the competition is integrated in the prestigious international poetry festival Barcelona Poesia.

Barcelona in the literature

The relation between Barcelona and literature works both ways. Not only is literature strongly represented in the city, but Barcelona also plays the lead role in many literary works. Take for example Miquel de Cervantes’ (1547-1616) whose hero Don Quichot suffers a major and fatal defeat in the city. And many authors who came after Cervantes also incorporated Barcelona in their work. Take, for instance, the magnus opus of Eduardo Mendoza: _ The city of marvels_ in which Mendoza masterly decscribes the period between the two Universal Expositions of 1888 and 1929 in Barcelona through the eyes of the ordinary country boy Onofre Bouvila, who manages to become the most powerful man of Spain. Carlos Ruiz Záfon arguably even goes a step further, by presenting Barcelona not just as a background to his story, but making the city into a character in his successful works The shadow of the wind and The angel’s game.

The above only shows a small fraction of the unbreakable connection between Barcelona and literature. In a vibrant and innovative city like Barcelona there is always something new to discover and the same goes for its literary aspects. One thing will, however, never change: the literature in Barcelona is just as luminous as the city itself.

(Text: Joska Berg)