Noucentisme - Prominent members

A Catalan literary movement named after the 1900s or 20th-c, usually taken to date from 1906, the year of Enric Prat de la Riba's manifesto La nacionalitat catalana and of the first International Congress of the Catalan Language, followed in 1907 by the founding of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans. D'Ors and other noucentistes aimed to overthrow the alleged ‘rusticity’ of 19th-c Catalan literature. Though it was impossible literally to restore the renaissance tradition of Martorell and Rois de Corella, the aim was to create a new humanism fulfilling a similar function to theirs in modern terms. Intellectual rigour, pleasure in craftsmanship, precision in the use of language, and precise metre and poetic structure were the keynotes of the new movement. Among its leading writers were Guerau de Liost, Carles Riba, and Josep Carner, whose poetry greatly influenced later Catalan writers.

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Noucentisme (noucentista being its adjective) was a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme, both in art and ideology, and was, simultaneously, a perception of art almost opposite to that of avantgardists.

Its most prominent adherent, Josep Carner, known by his epithet of "prince of the Catalan poets" and produced very elaborate, ornate poetry, reminiscent of the baroque and still admired for his beautiful style and refined language. Catalan nationalism was becoming seriously influential in politics for the first time, especially incarned in the right-wing and Catholic party Regionalist League, whose goal, despite having a full national conscience, was to achieve a number of reforms to reassure the hegemony of the Catalan principate within Spain and to become more influential in the decision-making in Spanish politics, instead of achieving formal independence.

Following the disagreements that took place between Catalan politicians, intellectuals and, most prominently, the working class of Barcelona (after the "disaster" of 1898 and the Rif War, especially after what has come to be known as Setmana Tràgica or Tragic Week in 1909), a segment of the population wished to disengage from Spain.

Their concept of civility was rooted in a vision of an "ideal Catalonia" equalled to that of a Catalan polis ruled on the principles of culture, harmony, a democratic community life and order versus what they saw as the barbaric countryside.

Their project was never completely fulfilled, among other reasons because of disagreements between members of Noucentisme, anti-Catalan repression under the 1923-1930 dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, and the consequent rise to popularity and power of left-wing Catalan nationalist and independentist parties. However, a large renovation of Catalan society took place, especially thanks to the reforms during the period of the Mancomunitat de Catalunya and Catalan got its first consisten spelling rules with the Fabrian reform.

Prominent members

Jaume Bofill i Mates Josep Carner Pompeu Fabra Guerau de Liost Josep Maria López-Picó Rafael Masó Eugeni d'Ors ("Xènius") Enric Prat de la Riba Josep Puig i Cadafalch Josep Puig Gairalt Ramon Puig Gairalt Joaquim Sunyer