Caterina Albert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caterina Albert i Paradís
Born	11 September 1869
Died	27 January 1966
Pen name	Víctor Català
Language	Spanish, Catalan
Nationality	Spanish
Literary movement	Modernisme
Notable works	Solitud (Solitude) (1905)

Caterina Albert i Paradís (born in L'Escala, Spain, on September 11, 1869 — died January 27, 1966), was a famous Catalan writer. She is much better known by her pen name, Víctor Català. She wrote in both Catalan and Spanish. Caterina was part of the Modernisme movement, which was a new style of art and writing. Her most famous book, Solitud (meaning Solitude), published in 1905, is a key work from this time.

Caterina's writing talent was first noticed in 1898 when she won a prize at the Jocs Florals (a poetry and arts competition). Soon after, she started using the name Víctor Català. She picked this name from a character in a book she never finished writing. Even though she was also good at writing plays and poems, she is best known for her stories. People admired her strong writing style and her rich vocabulary. She passed away in her hometown of L'Escala, Catalonia, in 1966. She is buried in the old cemetery there.

Biography

Early Life and the Modernisme Movement

Caterina Albert started writing at a young age. Her first poems, written under the name Virigili d’Alacseal, appeared in a funny magazine called l’Almanach de L'Esquella de la Torratxa between 1897 and 1900.

A small problem happened when judges found out that a very powerful play she wrote was by a young girl. Because of this, Caterina decided to use the pen name Víctor Català for all her future writings. This helped her write freely without society judging her because she was a woman. At that time, it was not always easy for women to be recognized as serious writers.

Her first book of poems, Lo cant dels mesos (The Song of the Months), came out in 1901. Caterina was also talented in other arts; she was a drawer, a painter, and a sculptor. Sadly, her art career didn't take off. She only had one art show in her life, in 1955.

As her writing career grew, she focused less on her art. In 1901, she published a collection of monologues called 4 Monòlegs. She also started writing for Joventut, a popular Modernist magazine (1900–1906). This magazine helped her become well-known and achieve her writing goals. In Joventut, she wrote her first "rural dramas"—stories about country life, often with serious or sad themes.

In 1902, her book Drames rurals (rural dramas) was published. The mystery around her pen name, Víctor Català, made her even more famous. During this time, she also became friends with other important writers like Narcís Oller and Joan Maragall. Using her pen name was like a shield. It allowed her to write about anything she wanted, without worrying about what people might think of a female author.

Some of her stories, which explored the tougher parts of human life, started to get attention in 1902. After that, she published another collection of tales, Ombrívoles (1904), and a second book of poems, Llibre Blanc (White Book) (1905). She also wrote some less dramatic stories and poems for the magazine La Ilustració Catalana.

Her most famous work, Solitud (Solitude), was first printed in Joventut magazine from 1904 to 1905. It was then published as a book in 1905, which made Víctor Català a very well-known writer. She published another collection of stories, Caires vius, in 1907. After this, she took a break from writing for a while, which is sometimes called her first "literary silence."

Later Years (after 1907)

Caterina Albert published a collection of stories called La Mare Balena in 1920. However, her second and last novel, Un film (A Film) (1926), came out later in the 1920s. Throughout her career, she was also involved with the Jocs Florals of Barcelona, even leading the judging in 1917. She became a member of important language and literature academies in Catalonia. She won a top prize at the Jocs Florals de Barcelona for her poem Cavalls del port (Horses of the Port).

She was also interested in folklore and archaeology. She collected and organized old Greek and Roman artifacts. She took another break from writing when the Spanish Civil War began.

After the War

Caterina Albert didn't publish another work until 1944. This was her first collection of stories written in Spanish, called Retablo. Two years later, she released Mosaic (1947), a collection of writings about everyday home life. This book was the first to be reprinted in Catalan by a new publishing house.

Later, she started working closely with the publisher Selecta. With them, she published Vida Mòlta (1950) and Jubileu (1951), which were her last collections of stories. Finally, Selecta published her Obres Completes (Complete Works) in 1951 and again in 1972. After she passed away, Selecta continued to re-release her books.

Literary Works

Caterina Albert's writing career can be divided into three main time periods:

• Modernisme Period (early 1900s)
  • El cant dels mesos (1901), a collection of poems.
  • Llibre Blanc-Policromi-Tríptic (1905), another collection of poems.
  • Quatre monòlegs (1901), a collection of short plays for one actor.
  • Drames rurals (1902), a collection of stories, often with serious themes about rural life.
  • Ombrívoles (1904), a collection of stories.
  • Caires Vius (1907), a collection of stories.
  • Solitud (1905), her most famous novel.

• Second Period (from 1907 until the Spanish Civil War)
  • La Mare-Balena (1920), a collection of stories.
  • Un film 3.000 metres (1926), a novel.
  • Marines (1928), a collection of writings about the sea.
  • Contrallums (1930), a collection of stories.

• Postwar Period (after the Spanish Civil War)
  • Retablo (1944), a collection of stories in Spanish.
  • Mosaic (1946), a collection of writings about daily life.
  • Vida mòlta (1950), a collection of stories.
  • Jubileu (1951), a collection of stories.
  • Obres Completes (1951), her collected works.
  • Obres Completes (1972), a later edition of her collected works.

Among all her works, Solitud (Solitude) is especially important. It perfectly shows the style of Catalan Modernism and is still her most recognized book. The main character, Mila, is a woman who tries to find her own way and identity, even when her surroundings make it difficult. In 1909, the book won the premi Fastenrath and has been translated into many languages around the world.

See also

In Spanish: Caterina Albert para niños