Tarascon, sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Tarasconnaises. The patron saint of the city is Martha of Bethany, whose motto is "Concordia Felix".
Provençal is a variety of Occitan, spoken by people in Provence and parts of Drôme and Gard. Historically, the term Provençal has been used to refer to the whole of the Occitan language, but today it is considered more technically appropriate to refer only to the variety of Occitan spoken in Provence. However it can still be found being used to refer to Occitan as a whole, e.g. Merriam-Webster states that it can be used to refer to general Occitan, though this is going out of use.
Occitan literature is a body of texts written in Occitan, mostly in the south of France. It was the first literature in a Romance language and inspired the rise of vernacular literature throughout medieval Europe. Occitan literature's Golden Age was in the 12th century, when a rich and complex body of lyrical poetry was produced by troubadours writing in Old Occitan, which still survives to this day. Although Catalan is considered by some a variety of Occitan, this article will not deal with Catalan literature, which started diverging from its Southern French counterpart in the late 13th century.
Nikolaus “Nik” Welter was a Luxembourgish writer, playwright, poet, professor, literary critic, and statesman. He wrote predominantly in German. He also served as a Minister for Education in the government of Émile Reuter.
The Félibrige is a literary and cultural association founded in 1854 by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote the Occitan language and literature. It is presided over by a capoulié.
Fontvieille is a commune in the camargue region in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Joseph Roumanille was a Provençal poet. He was born at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), and is commonly known in southern France as the father of the Félibrige, for he first conceived the idea of raising his regional language to the dignity of a literary language.
Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature "in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist". Mistral was a founding member of the Félibrige and member of the Académie de Marseille.
La Coupo Santo, in full La Cansoun de la Coupo in original modern norm Provençal is the anthem of Provence. It is sung in Provençal, one of six Occitan dialects.
The Consistori del Gay Saber was a poetic academy founded at Toulouse in 1323 to revive and perpetuate the lyric poetry of the troubadours.
Azalaïs d'Arbaud was a French writer in the Occitan language. She lived in Meyrargues, Bouches-du-Rhône. She worked at Amarna Prouvençau, and in 1860 wrote Madaleno e lou tavan Rous. La Dourgueto followed in 1862. In 1888, she was awarded the first prize at the Jeux Floraux at Digne for l'Anello d'or. Arbaud was the wife of Count Felix Arbaud; she was the mother of the poet Joseph d'Arbaud and a daughter, Berthe.
Jean-Baptiste Gaut (1819–1891) was a French Provençal poet and playwright from Aix-en-Provence. He was a chief advocate of the Provençal language and the Félibrige movement. He was known as "Félibre Gaut."
Joseph Desanat (1796-1873) was a French Provençal poet and journal editor.
Anselme Mathieu was a French Provençal poet.
Alphonse Tavan was a French Provençal poet.
Jean Brunet was a French Provençal poet.
Paul Giéra was a French Provençal poet.
François Vidal was a French Provençal poet and activist.
Marius Jouveau was a French poet. He served as the capoulie of the Félibrige from 1922 to 1941. On 11 August 1940 Jouveau wrote a letter to Marshal Philippe Pétain arguing that the Révolution nationale and the Félibrige shared the same values.
Jean Barnabé Amy was a French sculptor who mainly specialized in bas relief. He was close to members of the Félibrige, a society that promoted Provençal culture, and often made statues, busts or reliefs of members of this society.
