“L’engan que huy cascú pren en son viure”: New data on the poetry of Miquel Ortigues

Abstract

Up to now, the study of the authorship of the works attributed to Miquel Ortigues has not been conducted using archival documents. We have now gathered evidence which sheds new light on this matter. The possible connection between this author and the texts was discovered when the name of Ortigues was found in the incipit of the first opuscule composition known as “Lo Plant de la Verge Maria” in an edition dated 1528. Considering this, Miquel Ortigues has been associated with the texts that complete the rest of the volume and with the 59 poems in the two signed manuscripts that make up the “Cançoner sagrat de vides de sants”. In light of these developments, in this article we provide new information which will give a better understanding of the significance of Miquel Ortigues and help place him more precisely within the general historical and social scene of Valencian society in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Furthermore, we also report on the study and the publication of a new poetic response signed by Miquel Ortigues, the “Resposta”, from which we can draw new perspectives when studying this remarkable figure and the works that have traditionally been attributed to him.

Key Words: Miquel Ortigues, questions and answers, poetry, Valencian writers