The forgotten writer of exile who lived in a lodge

BarcelonaOne of the most admirable achievements of Catalan playwrights in exile is their persistence in continuing to write theatre, despite knowing almost for certain that they would never see it performed in Catalonia. Ambrosi Carrion (Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, 1888–Cornellà de Conflent, 1973) was one of its foremost exponents. With about fifteen unpublished stage texts, Carrion also cultivated poetry and essay writing and built a literary career of over 30 works. Despite this, only one of his plays written in exile has been performed in Catalonia –La dama de Reus (Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, 2008)– and his name has remained in the shadows for decades. With the intention of making him present and vindicating him, Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona has published Teatre inèdit de l'exili, a volume containing three unpublished works by Carrion, prepared by professors Josep Camps Arbós and Francesc Foguet Boreu.

"Carrion was already a prominent author in the modernist period, and later his work continued in the interwar period and in exile. He must be a classic," states Foguet, who places the playwright at the level of other great names such as Àngel Guimerà, Josep Maria de Sagarra, and Ignasi Iglésias. His theatre, preserved at the Library of Montserrat, revolves around passionate conflicts often with a tragic outcome and starring characters who are crossed by moral dilemmas. "He wanted to bring universal values to Catalan theatre and for it to be comparable to the theatre being produced in Europe at that time. One of the aspects that defines him best is his daring in dealing with certain aspects that could be difficultly acceptable from the morality of the time," points out Foguet.

When compiling a volume with three unpublished works by the playwright, the professors had a very clear choice. The book contains The Paths of Antigone (1939), Night of Bewitchment (1945) and The Black Angel"The great positive aspect of writing from exile is that I did it with total freedom. If I had written from Catalonia, Boldness and freedom

"The great positive aspect of writing from exile is that I did it with total freedom. If it had been written from Catalonia, Els camins d'Antígona would probably not be so daring," says Foguet, and Camps adds that "the first page of L'àngel negre would no longer have passed censorship, but Carrion did not want to lower himself". In fact, before going into exile, the playwright had already dealt with themes that were sharp for the time, such as clandestine abortions. Another element that stands out in his work is the use of the Catalan popular imaginary. "In Nit d'embruixament, he takes the Sant Joan festival and takes it to his field to transmit a pacifist message in the context of the Second World War," highlights Camps.

Despite being far from Catalonia, Carrion did not stop writing with the aim of returning. When he was presented with the opportunity to publish some of his texts in the country, he replied that he would not allow it "if there was no guarantee that not a single comma would be censored." And, when he could have returned to Catalonia, he did not do so either, because he did not want "it to be in a Francoist Spain," says Camps. Catalanism and cultural activism marked the playwright's existence, who published articles in the Catalan press of France and America, presided over the Casal de Catalunya in Paris from 1964, and, also in the French capital, gave the presentation speech for the first Festa del Llibre Català in 1967.

Carrion spent the last 30 years of his life in the concierge's lodge of a building near Place Odéon in Paris. "The concierge was his wife, he was in charge of helping her –explains Camps–. They lived in a small apartment, full of books in Catalan, with a death mask of Iglésias and a large painting of Guimerà. People, when they saw that gentleman who had been a very important figure before the war living in precarious conditions, were very surprised." Until quite recently, it was also unknown where Carrion was buried. "A couple of years ago we discovered that his tomb is in Prada de Conflent, very close to that of Pompeu Fabra", points out the professor.

The only work by Carrion written in exile that has reached the Catalan stages to date is La dama de Reus, and it did so mainly thanks to the playwright's widow. "She decided to donate her husband's legacy to Catalonia, but she asked that in return a play by Carrion be premiered at the TNC," explains Camps. The play, directed by Ramon Simó, starred Maria Molins and Manel Barceló. In Teatre inèdit de l'exili, Foguet and Camps review the playwright's unpublished works, detailing their plot and main aspects. "They are all very well preserved in the Library of Montserrat. There are no excuses not to perform them," says Camps.