Valentí Almirall i Llozer

Valentí Almirall i Llozer (; Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, 8 March 1841 – 1904) was a Catalan politician, considered one of the fathers of modern Catalan nationalism, and more specifically, of the left-wing variety.

Biography Education Valentí Almirall was the son of Josep Almirall i Alier, a merchant in drugs (medicinal substances) and Colonial goods, and of Josepa Llozer i Cebrià, heiress to the Barony of El Papiol — a title which Almirall consistently declined to use, despite being entitled to it as the firstborn son.

He initially studied at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts, but was forced to leave after criticizing his teacher, the painter Claudi Lorenzale. Almirall was fluent in Greek, Latin, French, English, Italian, and German, which enabled him to travel widely and engage with modern European cultural and intellectual life.

Politics Almirall's comfortable economic background and his limited interest in practicing law led him toward active political engagement. He participated in the planning and execution of the Revolution of 1868 in Barcelona. During this time, he directed the newspaper El Federalista and collaborated with the journal Revista Republicano-Federal, from which he published several highly radical pamphlets, such as ¡Guerra a Madrid! and Bases para la Constitución federal de la Nación Española y para la del Estado de Cataluña. Observaciones sobre el modo de plantear la confederación en España. He declared himself openly hostile to any agreement with monarchists and played a prominent role in the Pact of Tortosa (signed on 18 May 1869), an agreement between republican representatives from Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, and Aragon in support of a federal structure for Spain. However, he soon became disillusioned with the direction the Republic was taking and returned to Barcelona.

Bourbon Restoration

During the Bourbon Restoration, Valentí Almirall diminished his public activity and tried to dedicate himself to literature under the pseudonym A. Z. Sota. In fact, in 1879, he published two novels. A year earlier, in 1878, he was appointed president of the Ateneu Lliure de Barcelona.

Works

Idea exacta de la Federación. La República Federal Española. Datos para su organización (1873) – An Exact Idea of the Federation. The Spanish Federal Republic. Data for its Organization El alma al diablo (1878) – novel Una autoridad modelo. Historia de un gobernador de orden (1878) – A Model Authority. History of a Lawful Governor (novel) Escritos catalanistas. El Renacimiento catalán, las leyes forales y el carlismo en Cataluña (1878) – Catalanist Writings. The Catalan Renaissance, Foral Laws and Carlism in Catalonia La Casa de Caridad de Barcelona (1879) – The House of Charity of Barcelona La Confederación suiza y la Unión americana. Estudio político comparativo (1881?) – The Swiss Confederation and the American Union. A Comparative Political Study El Tiro federal suizo: descripción de la fiesta en 1883 (1883) – The Swiss Federal Shooting: Description of the Festival in 1883 Los Estados Unidos de América. Estudio Político (1884) – The United States of America. Political Study Lo Catalanisme. Motius que el legitimen, fonaments científics i solucions pràctiques (1886) – Catalanism. Reasons That Justify It, Scientific Foundations and Practical Solutions Poesia del Regionalisme (1886) – Poetry of Regionalism España tal como es (1886) – Spain as It Is Regionalisme i particularisme (1901) – Regionalism and Particularism Aspecte polític i social del renaixement català (1901) – Political and Social Aspect of the Catalan Renaissance