Félibrige, Le. Influential Provençal literary movement launched in Avignon in 1854 by seven writers, including Joseph Roumanille (1818-91), his former pupil Mistral, and acquaintance Aubanel. They aimed to raise awareness of Provençal traditions, history, and language, to codify Provençal grammar and spelling, and to demand that Provençal be taught in schools. Despite its Catholic conservatism, the movement was intellectually modern and cultivated contacts with Parisian writers. It attracted many Occitan authors, including Félix Gras (also from Avignon), under whose leadership (1891-1901) it declined. Yet, past schisms, polemics, and rivalries notwithstanding, it still survives. [See Occitan Literature (Post-Medieval)].
[Peter Davies]
