Memory, Identity, and Conflict: The Civil War in Catalan Literature

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course offers an exploration of the Spanish Civil War through Catalan literature, focusing on how writers have described pivotal historical periods and their impact on individual and collective identity. Through the close reading and analysis of foundational works, we will examine the enduring legacies of war, the repression of the postwar era, and the complex, often gendered, construction of memory. We will read iconic novels by authors who experienced the civil war, such as Mercè Rodoreda's La plaça del Diamant (The Time of the Doves), Joaquim Amat-Piniella's K.L. Reich, and Joan Sales' Incerta glòria (Uncertain Glory). In contrast, more recent works like Irene Solà's Et vaig donar ulls i vas mirar les tenebres (I Gave You Eyes and You Looked into Darkness), will take us on a journey into a rural world where myth, history, and matrilineal narratives intertwine, offering fresh perspectives on the transmission of memory and the agency of women within historical and folkloric landscapes. The course will also feature a selection of short stories by figures such as Caterina Albert (Víctor Català), Salvador Espriu and Mercè Rodoreda. Throughout the course, we will reflect on the role of literature as a form of testimony, a space for mourning, and a tool for understanding the present by amplifying the often-silenced voices and experiences of the past, with a keen focus on how gender shapes these narratives.