BERNAT METGE (1374)

Born 1350 Barcelona.
Died 1413 Barcelona.

Poet whose stylistic masterpiece Lo Somni (1398) initiated a classical trend in Catalan literature.

Educated in medicine Metge entered (1376) the royald household of Pedro IV to serve as secretary-mentor to Prince Juan.

He fell from favour and devoted himself to translating Valter y Griselda, Boccaccio´s story of Griselda, from Petrarch´s Latin version and to writing Libre de Fortuna y Prudencia (1381) which is more a philosophical treatise than a poetic work.

When his former protector John I became king (1387) metge returned to royal service as secretary-procurator for John and his wife Violante (by whom Metge had an illegitimate son). Again the victim of court intrigues the poet was imprisoned.

Reflecting on human frailties and ill-fated love he composed Lo Somni which takes place in a dreamlike setting of a purgatory inhabited by John I, the legendary pre-Homeric poet and musician Orpheus and the blind Theban seer Tiresias. Combining scholastic enquiry with poetic style he pondered the inmortality of the soul versus natural death and discussed the ethical conduct of women.

Accused of imitiating Boccaccio he was himself emulated by Catalan poets for centuries.

Although restored to royal favour in 1403 as secretary to KIng Martin of Aragon he faded from the public view after 1410.

His works were collected in Obres d´en Bernat Metge (1910).