«An utter disgrace: The poet Verdaguer executed» The public auction of the author’s books and the formation of the Biblioteca de Catalunya

Abstract

The books from Jacint Verdaguer’s private library, along with those belonging to Marià Aguiló and a few others from the “Institut d’Estudis Catalans”, provided the basis for the “Biblioteca de Catalunya” (‘Library of Catalonia’). They were acquired by the “Institut” in 1908 amidst fierce controversy in the press. From the start, the “Institut” wanted to create a “Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya”. Using forgotten or unknown documentation, this article aims to trace a picture of how the “Biblioteca” began when it was opened in 1914, and the connections with the “Institut” and the impetus it gave right up to the time of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, under which the two institutions were the victims of the “decatalanizing” measures adopted by this regime. At the same time, we would also like to emphasize the importance of the acquisition of Verdaguer’s collection of books, which prevented the dispersal of a particularly valuable literary treasure.