Subversion, Transition, Tradition: Politics and Subjectivity in the First Poetry of Maria-Mercè Marçal

Abstract

In this article, Fernàndez talks about the political effectiveness of a literature which intends to be subversive, like Marçal’s. Presenting her poetry until 1982, the author discusses three key-points in Marçal’s work: the redefinition of feminine subjectivity, the assumption of maternity and the expresion of lesbian love. Marçal was the first author in Catalan history to talk about this kind of love. The writer finds herself in a difficult position, for how can one write without and outside a tradition? She goes through a transition of three stages (from woman to mother to lesbian). Fernàndez shows how, in terms of subjectivity and political effectiveness, this transition has failed, but, on the other hand, her poetry is a great success because it has turned the Catalan tradition around.