4 September 2026 · Sara Marugan
A workshop on troubadour literature at Lluïsos de Gràcia
This article was machine-translated from Sara's Catalan original. The writing is hers; the translation has not been reviewed by a person. Read the Catalan original →
Troubadour literature was born in the 12th and 13th centuries in the south of present-day France. Troubadours were learned poets who composed both words and music, and they did so in Occitan, the Romance language of Occitania.
Their main subject was fin'amor, or courtly love: an idealised game of courtship. In it, the poet declared himself the vassal of a married, unattainable lady. To protect her honour he used a pseudonym, or senhal, in his verses. They also had to dodge the lauzangiers, the court gossips who were out to expose them.
These songs were performed by joglars, the travelling musicians and entertainers of the day. That is how troubadour literature became a decisive legacy that transformed love poetry across Europe, and its influence is still with us.
Would you like to come and enjoy it? I hope to see you there.
Date: Tuesday 15 September, 6 pm
Length: 1 hr 30 min
Venue: Lluïsos de Gràcia (plaça del Nord, 7, Barcelona)
The workshop is organised by Banc del Temps de Gràcia. Details and sign-up are on the agenda of [Col·lectiu Minerva — Dones Creadores de Gràcia](minervadonescreadoresdegracia.cat/activitats/taller-de-literatura-trobadoresca/).
Image: the troubadour Perdigon, in a 13th-century Occitan songbook (BnF, ms. 854, f. 49). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
