Josep Abril i Virgili (1869-1918) was a self-taught Catalan poet and playwright. He specialized in the production of works with easily understood and popular moral lessons, which were publicised through Roman Catholic organizations.

Publications

Abril i Virgili collaborated in the production of several publications such as ''La Barretina'', ''La Creu de Montseny'' (The Cross of Montseny), ''Lo Pensament Català'' (Catalan Thought), '' Cu-Cut!'' and ''Bon Seny'' (Good Sense), among others. ''Bon Seny'' was a book on ancestral Catalan wisdom (the famous ''

seny (; from Proto-Germanic ) is a form of ancestral Catalan wisdom or sensibleness. It involves well-pondered perception of situations, level-headedness, awareness, integrity, and right action: "a kind of refined good sense and self-realisation." T ...

''), encouraged by Josep Torras i Bages, the respected Catalan writer and

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Vic Vic, vic or VIC may refer to: People and fictional characters * Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name * V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper Places * Vic, Spain, a town and ...

. Illustrated by

Joan Junceda Joan Junceda, full name Joan García Junceda i Supervia (13 February 1881 in Barcelona – 10 September 1948 in Blanes, Selva), was one of the most important Catalan artists and illustrators in the first half of the 20th century. His father was ...

(1881-1948), it contains

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

s and local humorous sayings (acudits) based on traditional

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

principles. First published in Catalan before the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, a limited edition was reprinted in 1959. It became a rare collector's item during

General Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republ ...

's dictatorship when publications in the Catalan language were severely restricted. Nine years after Franco's death it was reprinted by a Roman Catholic publishing house in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Plays

As a playwright, Josep Abril i Virgili is the author of several morality plays that were performed mainly in Catholic associations. Notable among these are ''Furor pessebrista'' (1897), the prose monologue ''L’Home roig'' (The Red Man, 1913), the

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

of manners ''La mort de l’avi'' (The Death of the Grandfather, 1898), the almost humoristic dialogue ''D'extrem a extrem'' (1896), and the dramas ''Lo roure centenari'' (The Centennial Oak, 1897), ''El castell de Montsoliu'' (The castle of Montsoliu, 1898), ''Cadena del captiu'' (Chain of the Captive, 1900), ''Iselda'' (1901), and ''Cami del vici'' (The Road of Vice, 1912), as well as ''L’hostal de la Serena'', which was included in the collection ''Lectura popular'' (Popular Readings).Diccionari de la Literatura Catalana, 2008

References

External links

Museu Arxiu de Santa Maria
Centre d'Estudis Locals de

Mataró Mataró () is the capital and largest town of the Maresme county in Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, Maresme coast, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, north-east of Barcel ...

(Archives) {{DEFAULTSORT:Abril Dramatists and playwrights from Catalonia Aphorists 1918 deaths 1869 births Place of birth missing