Literature and rock music: is Catalan “cool”?

Abstract

Catalan is not used with the same intensity in all spheres so the answer to the question of whether Catalan is a “cool” language – that is to say, whether it is popular among young people – varies according to the field involved, the current social situation and the spirit of each generation. In this paper Pep Blay analyses the prevailing conditions in two specific fields: Catalan literature and pop rock. While in the case of literature one must bow to the evidence that Catalan is not “cool” – young people tend to read novels by foreign authors translated into Spanish whereas bestsellers in Catalan have a middle-aged plus readership – in the music sphere Catalan is indeed “cool” for now. Musicians like Manel, Els Amics de les Arts, Anna Roig or Mazoni are very popular and qualify people who listen to them as modern. The author wonders, however, “for how long?”

Key words: social use of Catalan, youth, literature, music, communication media, cultural consumption.