LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Both Catalan and Spanish are Romance languages. That is, they eventually developed from Latin. That explains why they have many words in common.
However, they are two different languages, each with its own grammar rules.
Many Catalan words carry a written accent (´ or ` , it depends) in order to mark the stressed syllable. However, it is not always easy to know whether you should write it or not, as the rules are a little bit difficult.
Monosyllabic (one-syllable) words do not carry an accent unless the same word has two different meanings. The accent tells you which is which. So "Mon" may either mean "the world" (món) or "my" (mon).
At the end of the 19th Century a number of writers and historians looked back at the Medieval classics for inspiration. Other people devoted their attention to folklore and popular literature. They had an interest in common: they analyzed the Catalan language in depth and established proper rules that helped to settle its grammar and spelling. The papers of that time (mainly "L'Avenç") helped to teach the new standards to the general public.
Catalans have proved to be excellent writers. "Tirant lo Blanc", a novel attributed to Joanot Martorell, is an example of fine writing in the Medieval Ages. Among contemporary writers it is worth mentioning Mercè Rodoreda ("La Plaça del Diamant"),
Manuel de Pedrolo ("Mecanoscrit del segon origen"), Montserrat Roig ("El temps de les cireres"), Josep Pla ("El quadern gris"), Isabel-Clara Simó ("La Salvatge"), Maria Aurèlia Capmany ("Necessitem morir") and Quim Monzó ("La magnitud de la tragèdia")
Among the poets, Miquel Martí i Pol's and Salvador Espriu's works are just capital.
Miquel Martí i Pol
Josep Maria de Sagarra (b.1894, d.1961) was a playwright, a novelist
and a translator. He translated all of Shakespeare's works into Catalan.
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