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ABSTRACT
This article analyses the transformation of the Catalan writer’s social space, which intensified with the independence process against Spain during last decade. More specifically, we shall focus on the dual structure of the literary field (Catalan literary field versus Spanish literary field) based on the use of Catalan or Spanish as expressive language, and materialized in different publishing houses, cultural institutions and cultural policies for the promotion of literature. The political conflict led some writers to abandon the literary field’s ivory tower and participate in the public sphere as intellectuals, supporting different political positions (pro or anti-independence). We shall analyze how these position-takings of Catalan writers (expressed in manifestos, newspapers articles, political essays, etc.) were related to their position in the dualistic structure of the literary field (Catalan versus Spanish writers) and the resources obtained in these social domains. The literary field’s limited autonomy (both in political and economic terms) prevented Spanish and Catalan writers to frame the political conflict in their own terms and according to their specific principles.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Charle refers to « figure tutélaire », meaning the role of tutelary or father figures as influent intellectuals, when explaining the role of writers as Emile Zola or Anatole France during the Dreyfuss affair (Charle, Citation1998, p. 152).
2 According to professional rapports, the book production is mainly located in Madrid and Barcelona, but Barcelona still concentrates today the literary publishing (Ministerio de cultura, Citation2019).
7 Izquierdo is a writer, literary critic and a relevant manager in the Catalan cultural field since the 1980s, having held, among other positions, the direction of the Institution of Catalan Letters (2007–2013).
17 Albert Sánchez Pinol usually writes his novels in Catalan, with the exception of Victus, who originally wrote in Spanish.
18 In April 2018, El Mundo journalist Álvaro Colomer published the column “Barcelona insignificant”, in which he affirmed that international writers had stopped coming to promote themselves to the city, since their publishers preferred not to programme them due to supposed “political hyperactivity” affecting cultural consumption. His column was contested in the media by CCCBs director Judith Carrera and bookseller Isabel Sucunza.
19 https://www.ara.cat/cultura/Colau-Barcelones-Vazquez-Montalban-independentistes_0_2000800119.html
22 The Popular Party (Partido Popular) is a conservative Spanish political party placed between the center-right and the right of the ideological of the political spectrum.
24 The order of signatures is alphabetical, but only well-known public figures are included. The literary intellectuals supporting this manifesto were: Manuel Alcántara, Felix de Azúa, Juan Bonilla, Pedro García Montalvo, Daniel Gascón, José Antonio Gómez Marín, Jose Antonuio González Sainz, José Jiménez Lozano, Jon Juaristi, Jorge Martínez Reverte, José Antonio Montano, Xavier Pericay, Javier Reverte, Fernando Sánchez Dragó, Fernando Savater, Andrés Trapiello y Mario Vargas Llosa.
28 See Savater’s interview in https://www.elmundo.es/cultura/2017/09/26/59ca9d7c468aebfe668b4633.html; see Azúa’s interview in https://www.elmundo.es/opinion/2017/02/04/5894d938268e3e4a0b8b45da.html
30 The literary intellectuals supporting this manifestó were: Antonina Rodrigo, Concha García, Eduardo Moga, Félix Ovejero, Javier Marías, Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Javier Cercas, Juan Marsé, J. E. Martínez Lapuente, Ricardo Cano, Rosa Lentini, Fanny Rubio, Federico Gallego, Manuel Rico, Juan Madrid, Juan José Millás, Rosa Montero, Vicente Molina Foix y Vicente Verdú.
33 https://www.elnacional.cat/es/cultura/premio-planeta-2019-javier-cercas-manuel-vilas_430742_102.html
36 Petición pública en favor de una negociación política sobre Cataluña | ctxt.es
37 The table links an approximation of the level of consecration of writers in their own field based on the literary prizes (Dubois, Citation1978) from different institutions and the media platforms which give those writers both public consecration and a channel to communicate their ideas.