Valencian Dialectal Features and Post-War Catalan Poetry
Valencian Dialectal Features
Southern Valencian
It is spoken in the region of Safor, part of the Ribera Baixa, the Costera, the Vall d’Albaida county, the Alcoià, the Marina Alta, and the Marina Baixa.
Phonetics
- Vowel harmony trend: all-end is pronounced as the unstressed syllable preceding an open or open and tonic vowel.
Morphosyntax
- Substitution of the weak second-person pronoun us or the article form lo by the form es.
Alicante Valencian
Extends throughout the counties of Alacantí, the Baix Vinalopó, and the Vinalopó Mitjà.
Phonetics
- Alicante Valencian also exhibits vowel harmony.
- Systematic loss of intervocalic -d-.
- Elimination of final -r.
- The diphthong -ou- opens to -au-.
Morphosyntax
- Use of the adverb ací (here) instead of bé (well).
- Use of the form això (this) rather than the neutral demonstrative açò.
- Use of the impersonal form hi ha (there is/are) instead of n’hi ha (there is/are).
Vocabulary
- Abundance of Spanishisms.
- Existence of archaisms.
Post-War Catalan Poetry
Poetry of Symbolist Tradition
Since 1940, poets have expressed themes of personal and collective hurt, defeat, and exile. Notable poets include: Carles Riba, Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel, Marius Torres, Agustí Bartra, Joan Teixidor, Joan Vinyoli, Salvador Espriu, and from Valencia, Joan Valls and Xavier Casp.
Salvador Espriu (1913-1985)
A poet with an exceptional cultural heritage, classical training, and extraordinary mastery of linguistic registers. He wrote novels (e.g., Laia), theater (e.g., Antigone, Death Around, Sinera, Another Phaedra, Please), and poetry (e.g., Sinera Cemetery, Hours, Mr. Death, The Walk and the Wall, and Final Maze).
Vanguard Poetry
Focused on formal experimentation and the exploration of expressive resources related to anti-poetry and visual poetry. Joan Brossa stands out in this movement.
Joan Brossa (1919-1998)
The author most representative of the desire for research and experimental poetry. He used forms like the sonnet, the sextet, and the romance. His poems are characterized by a surreal touch. Key works include: I do Brossa, Jump, Martí, Poetry Ditch, The Owl Eyes and Hair, and Poems of Sanity.
Historic Realism
It served as a tool for expressing everyday reality with a focus on cultural and national reaffirmation, opposing the new regime. It advocated for the use of a living, colloquial, direct, and communicative language, understandable to most. Some highlights include: Pere Quart, Gabriel Ferrater, Miquel Martí i Pol, and Vicent Andrés Estellés.
Miquel Martí i Pol (1929-2003)
Showed his commitment to the working class and Catalonia. Works include: The Village, Factory, Twenty-Three Times Seven Poems, The Skin of the Violin, Binder Holiday, Chronicle Tomorrow, Dear Marta, The Scope of All Areas, Beautiful Roads, and A Peaceful World: Book of Solitude.
Vicent Andrés Estellés (1924-1993)
A man of extensive literary training, a friend of intellectuals, he helped to restore dignity and use of the Catalan language. He published more than a hundred books. Notable works include: Bitter Artemisia Absinthium, The Key That Opens All Locks, Book of Wonders, Horatianes, Paris Hotel, and Monumental Mural of Valencia. His work incorporates classical poetic forms. Frequent themes are: hunger, misery, death, love, eroticism, daily life, and the cultural identity of the people.