Francesc Fontanella (; 1622 – 1680/1685) was a Catalan

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

, and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. Fontanella was born 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 ...

. He studied law and was granted a degree in Civil and Canon law in 1641. Until 1652 he lived a courtesan life in

and began writing love poetry and wrote his two dramatic works: ''Tragicomèdia d'Amor, Firmesa i Porfia'' (1642) and ''Lo desengany'' (1651). Both pieces are allegorical with some pastoral elements. His poetry was more mature: he changed the pseudonym Gilet for the more pastoral Fontano and achieved great poetic heights in the sonnets dedicated to the death of his first wife. "A la mort de Nise" is worth mentioning. In 1652, around the time of the defeat of the Catalan Revolt, he fled to Perpignan where he began a completely different life: the death of his second wife led to his entry in the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

and he was ordained as a priest. His poetry thus changed from amorous themes to religious ones and from euphoria to pessimism, a contrast completely personal yet simultaneously typical of the

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. He died in

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the Catalan

along with

Francesc Vicenç Garcia Francesc Vicent Garcia () i Ferrandis was an early modern Catalan people, Catalan poet known by the pseudonym of the ''Vallfogona Rector''. He was born in Zaragoza in 1579Although his father was born in Tortosa, in Catalonia. and died in Vallfogo ...

and

Josep Romaguera Josep Romaguera (; 1642–1723) is the author of the only emblem book ever published in the Catalan language, the Atheneo de Grandesa. His work consists of prose, poetry and sermons. His writing is typical of Baroque style. Romaguera was born ...

Notable works

* 1642: ''Tragicomèdia pastoral d'Amor, Firmesa i Porfia'' * 1651: ''Lo desengany''

References

* Miró, Maria Marcè. ''Francesc Fontanella: Antologia poètica.'' Barcelona: Curial, 1998. ---- *''This article incorporates material from the Catalan version of the article.''

External links

Webpage devoted to Francesc Fontanella (lletrA (UOC), Catalan Literature Online)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontanella, Francesc Poets from Catalonia Catalan-language writers Dramatists and playwrights from Catalonia Catalan-language poets 1622 births 1680s deaths Year of death uncertain