.gif)
|
|
Writer. Of peasant
ascendancy, his father left the land, started an
artificer's workshop, taught drawing and was a notable
Carlist of the comarca. Fuster studied law at the
University of Valencia, where he received his licentiate
in 1947 and obtained a doctor's degree in Catalan
philology in 1985. In 1944 he published his first article
in Catalan —Vint-i-cinc anys de poesia valenciana—
and collaborated in the almanac of "Las
Provincias." From 1946 to 1956 he co-directed with
Josep Albi the magazine "Verbo", where he
published his first literary articles of a certain
ambition. His first books, however, were in verse —Sobre
Narcís (1949), Ales o mans (1949), Terra a
la boca (1953) and Escrit per al silenci
(1954)—, in addition to Antologia del surrealismo
español (1952), written jointly with Albi. In 1952
he began in "Levante", from Valencia, his
journalistic collaborations in the press —one of the
most notable and constant facets of his production—
which he continued until a very advanced age, in
newspapers and magazines in Valencia, Barcelona and
Madrid and in many other periodical publications,
including those in exile. In 1955 he began, with El
descrèdit de la realitat, a brilliant career as an
essayist, with a vast subject matter, served by an
incisive style, with a skilful and precise use of
adjectives. Another aspect of his work, which also began
at that time, was his literary erudition, history and
criticism —Pàgines escollides de sant Vicent
Ferrer (1955) and Recull de contes valencians
(1958)— and poetry —Antologia de la poesia
valenciana (1956) and Ausias March: Antologia
poètica (1959)—. His dedication to Valencian
subjects culminated in 1962 with the publication of Nosaltres
els valencians. Qüestió de noms and El País
Valenciano, basic books for understanding the
history, culture and national identity problems of the País
Valencià. Always on this subject matter, he
published Raimon (1964), Combustible per a
falles (1967), L'albufera de València (1970),
La decadència al País Valencià (1976), El
blau de la senyera (1979), Ara o mai (1981),
and País Valencià, per què (1982), in addition
to numerous scholarly, historical, biographical and
travel studies and articles. Finally, it is worth
mentioning the evocative Diari 1952-1960. In the
field of essays, he published Les originalitats
(1956), Figures de temps, Yxart prize (1957), Indagacions
possibles (1958), Judicis finals (1960), Diccionari
per a ociosos (1964), Cansar-se d'esperar
(1965), L'home mesura de totes les coses (1967), Consells,
proverbis i insolències (1968), Examen de
conciència (1968), Babels i babilònies
(1972), Exploració de l'ombra (1974), Un país
sense política (1976), Notes d'un desficiós
(1980), Pamflets (1985) and Sagitari
(1985); in these works Fuster pays homage to classical
humanism with a moral rooting, while treating subjects
that run from history to politics, including the most
varied aspects of cultural and daily life; one also finds
a wisp of the French moralists and reformers, of
Montaigne and the encyclopaedists. As part of his
historical, critical and literary popularisation works,
he has published La poesia catalana (1956), Joan
Serrallonga (1961), in collaboration with Joan
Reglà, Poetes, moriscos i capellans (1962), El
bandolerisme català: la llegenda (1963), Heretgies
revoltes i sermons (1968), Literature catalana
contemporània (1972) and the collection of studies Llibres
i problemes del Renaixement (1989); in addition to
lengthy prefaces to the respective works of Joan
Salvat-Papasseit (1962), Salvador Espriu (1963) and Josep
Pla (1966), possessing great analytical penetration and
capacity for synthesis, collected in Contra el
noucentisme (1978). He also directed the magazine
"L'Espill" (1979) and several book collections.
Joan Fuster was undoubtedly, the most important Catalan
essayist of the generations that emerged after the civil
war. The force of his intellectual personality and the
breadth of his work —which expresses both a profound
humanist view and undeniable political voluntarism and a
sceptic criticism and corrosive humour— have
surpassed the literary ambit and have projected
themselves on the cultural and civil life of the Països
Catalans, the unitary conscience of which he
contributed powerfully to create. The uncompromising
Catalanicity of his work made him the object of several
physical attacks. He was member of the Institute of
Catalan Studies (1978) and promoter and president of
Cultural Action of the País Valencià. (1978).
Award of Honour of Catalan Letters (1975), in 1983 he
received the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
In 1984 he was awarded an honorary doctor's degree by the
University of Barcelona. [Supplement 1] In 1984 he was
awarded an honorary doctor's degree by the University of
Barcelona and, in 1986, the full professorship of
literature at the University of Valencia. In 1987 he
collected his poetry in the volume Set llibres de
versos. In the later years of his life he suspended
practically all public, and more specifically political,
activity, and dedicated himself to research and to his
university chair. Fruit of this work are the studies
collected in Llibres i problemes del Renaixement
(1989). |