Who was the Valencian Verdaguer, and why is it worth reading him now?

Barcelona"It had been more than 100 years since any book by Teodor Llorente had been published in Catalonia," he says. Oriol Magrinyà, editor of Barcino, who has broken this long hiatus thanks to Poetic Anthology, twelfth volume of the collection EssentialsEdited and with a foreword by the great contemporary specialist on the author, Rafael Roca, the volume commemorates the poet and intellectual who "led the Valencian branch of the Renaixença" through a generous and representative selection of his work, which includes such emblematic poems as The shack, Storm and The three strings of the harpIf the Principality had such a relevant author as Jacint Verdaguer (Folgueroles, 1845 - Barcelona, ​​1902) and the Balearic Islands with the influential presence of Mariano Aguiló (Palma, 1825 - Barcelona, ​​1897), the Valencian Country had a figure as relevant as that of Teodoro Llorente (Valencia, 1836-1911): thanks to his Libretto of verses (1885) A good number of Valencians learned to read in their language throughout much of the 20th century.

In addition to writing poetry and articles, Llorente founded the newspaper The Provinceswhich he directed between 1866 and 1906, when one of his five sons succeeded him. He was also, along with Constantí Llombart and Fèlix Pizcueta, one of the three founders of Lo Rat Penat in 1878, a cultural association that for decades championed the Valencian language and culture. "While he was alive, Llorente was overshadowed in Catalonia by the power of Verdaguer," says Oriol Magrinyà. "In the 1930s he was somewhat rediscovered, but the outbreak of the Civil War worked against him, as it did for so many other authors."

When, from the 1960s onward, "the progressive and Marxist generation led by Joan Fuster returned to writing in Valencian, they didn't consider Llorente a role model because they saw him as too conservative and old-fashioned." Vicent Andrés Estellés was one of the first to champion him "as a source of poetry and patriotism," says Rafael Roca, in verses like "I will return to Llorente, where my home is. / I will return to Llorente, where my people are." Later, authors like Josep Piera recalled the importance of Llorente: the 2023 Catalan Letters Honorary Prize was dedicated to him in his biography. The dream of a homeland of words (Bromera, 2011). "If it weren't for Llorente, Valencians wouldn't write in Valencian," Piera told me a few months ago, when we were presenting a new edition of the Selected Poems by Ausiàs March, who has done a version in modern Catalan, and I explained to him that we were finalizing this Poetic Anthology"recalls Magrinyà.

A first-class author

Oriol Magrinyà praises Llorente's "great command of form" and "interesting linguistic richness." "We have authors who play in the international league, like Verdaguer, and others of the highest caliber for our culture, such as the poet Àngel Guimerà or Teodor Llorente," he adds. The collection Essentialswho has so far published novels such as Private life, by José María de Sagarra, The Gold Rush , by Narcís Oller, the Complete theater, by Joan Ramis –an 18th century Menorcan author–, and Love, firmness, and perseverance, along with DisillusionmentFrancesc Fontanella – one of the great exponents of the Catalan Baroque – is preparing the edition of this autumn.Flowering ears of corn and The returnby Maria Antònia Salvà (Palma, 1869 - Llucmajor, 1958), considered the first modern poet in the Catalan language.

"Teodor Llorente is one of the many authors we weren't taught about in college," laments the editor. "The first time I heard about him was while preparing a textbook, not many years ago." Perhaps thePoetic Anthology It will help to correct the future omission of a poet of Llorente's magnitude, who begins thus Storm"Black is the night; / the wind whistles, thunder rolls, / lightning flashes to make the darkness blacker, / more gloomy."