Description
Poetry, language, and freedom
Book summary
This essay and collective chronicle reconstructs the trajectory of the Grup de la Font del Cargol, a cultural space born in Premià de Mar during the final years of the Franco regime. Through the voices of its protagonists, the book explores how poetry became a tool for resistance and linguistic freedom between 1970 and 1984. An essential work for understanding the Catalan cultural effervescence during the transition, which also includes an anthology of texts from the eponymous collection.
What is it about?
The book delves into the history of the Grup de la Font del Cargol, a literary collective that emerged in the Maresme region during the seventies. Led by writer and teacher Valerià Pujol, the group brought together authors such as Rafael Vallbona, Martí Rosselló, and Pep Bras, among others, in a context of repression and the struggle for the normalization of the Catalan language. The work not only documents the group's origins in the Taller Obert d'Expressió, but also analyzes its cultural legacy: how poetry served to defend the Catalan language and creative freedom in the midst of the exit from the dictatorship. It includes an anthology of the texts published in the Quaderns de la Font del Cargol collection, offering a direct sample of that combative literary output.
Main themes
- Cultural and literary history of the Maresme during the Spanish transition.
- Poetry as a tool for political and linguistic resistance.
- The process of normalization of the Catalan language in the publishing sector.
- The creation of local cultural networks and their national projection.
- Collective memory and self-discovery through literature.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in recent Catalan cultural history, especially the role of literature during the democratic transition. It is also highly useful for scholars of poetry, the sociology of culture, and the history of the Catalan language, as well as for those who wish to learn about the legacy of grassroots literary movements with a national impact.
What this book contributes
- A first-hand testimony on the creation of a cultural space in a context of repression.
- An anthology of texts representative of the combative poetry of the seventies and eighties.
- A reflection on the relationship between language, freedom, and artistic creation.
- Keys to understanding the process of Catalan cultural reconstruction after the Franco regime.
- A choral look that gathers the voices of multiple protagonists of the movement.
Technical specifications
- Author: CALLS I XART, ALBERT
- Publisher: Cossetània Edicions
- Language: Catalan
- Subject: Literature: history and criticism, Literary studies: poetry and poets
- Collection: Quaderns de la Font del Cargol
- Binding: Paperback
- Number of pages: 160
- Weight: 335 g
Editorial review
A work that successfully combines historical chronicle and poetic anthology, offering a unique perspective on an under-documented chapter of contemporary Catalan culture. Its choral approach and documentary rigor make it a reference for those who study resistance literature, while the selection of texts allows the reader to connect directly with the group's output. Recommended for both specialists and those curious about local cultural history.