La Mà trencada
La Mà trencada was a short-lived Catalan literary and art magazine directed and edited by Joan Merlí in Barcelona during 1924 and 1925.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
La Mà trencada was a Catalan literary and art magazine associated with the modern cultural environment of Barcelona in the 1920s. Directed and edited by Joan Merlí, it first appeared on 6 November 1924 and was issued fortnightly until 31 January 1925. Its brief run placed it among a group of periodicals and art publications through which Merlí promoted contemporary Catalan literature, poetry, criticism, and visual art. The magazine was produced in Barcelona by the Omega printing house at 53 Ample Street. Each issue measured approximately 270 by 210 millimetres, contained 20 pages arranged in two columns, and sold for one peseta. Its presentation was described as notably elegant for the period, with numerous illustrations devoted to modern Catalan artists. The publication therefore combined the functions of a literary review, an art magazine, and a platform for cultural portraiture rather than operating as a general-interest news periodical. Its editorial subject matter focused on Catalan writers with modernist or otherwise contemporary orientations. Alongside literary contributions, the magazine published biographical material about authors and discussions or presentations of both literary and plastic-art work. Contributors and featured writers included Joan Creixells, J. M. Picó, Carles Soldevila, Agustí Esclasans, Carles Riba, Josep Maria de Sagarra, and Joan Salvat-Papasseït. Salvat-Papasseït had died shortly before the magazine’s first issue, giving his inclusion particular significance within the contemporary Catalan literary context. Visual art was an important part of the publication’s identity. The magazine included images of sculptures by Enric Casanovas and featured work connected with Pablo Ruiz Picasso. The cover of the final issue carried a drawing by Picasso, with additional images by or related to the painter appearing inside the magazine. These elements reinforced the periodical’s effort to place Catalan writing in dialogue with modern visual culture. La Mà trencada belonged to a wider publishing constellation linked to Joan Merlí, which also included Quatre Coses, Les Arts Catalanes, and Art. The magazine should consequently be understood less as an isolated commercial brand than as one title within Merlí’s broader cultural publishing activity. It ceased publication after a limited number of fortnightly issues. A bibliographic account associated with Torrent and Tassis reportedly gives an incorrect final-publication date of 15 January 1926; the documented publication sequence identifies 31 January 1925 as the end of the run. Digitised copies are available through the ARCA portal of the Biblioteca de Catalunya’s archive of historic Catalan magazines.
History
La Mà trencada emerged in Barcelona during a period of active Catalan literary and artistic publishing. The magazine was directed and edited by Joan Merlí, who was also associated with several other cultural titles, including Quatre Coses, Les Arts Catalanes, and Art. These publications formed part of a broader effort to circulate contemporary Catalan writing and modern artistic expression through specialized periodicals. The first issue of La Mà trencada was published on 6 November 1924. The magazine followed a fortnightly schedule and continued until 31 January 1925. Its physical format was approximately 270 by 210 millimetres. Issues were printed at the Omega press on Barcelona’s Ample Street, each containing 20 pages in a two-column layout and selling for one peseta. The design was considered elegant and made extensive use of images relating to modern Catalan artists. Editorially, the magazine concentrated on poetry and literature by Catalan authors associated with contemporary or modern orientations. It combined original literary work with biographical material and treatments of literary and plastic art. Among the writers published or discussed were Joan Creixells, J. M. Picó, Carles Soldevila, Agustí Esclasans, Carles Riba, Josep Maria de Sagarra, and Joan Salvat-Papasseït. Salvat-Papasseït had died shortly before the magazine began, making his presence part of the periodical’s engagement with the recent Catalan literary scene. The visual programme was similarly important. La Mà trencada reproduced images of sculptures by Enric Casanovas and included material connected with Pablo Ruiz Picasso. The cover of the last issue featured a Picasso drawing, accompanied by further Picasso-related images within the issue. This combination of literary writing, author profiles, sculpture, painting, and refined graphic presentation gave the magazine a distinct cultural identity. The title had a short life and is now primarily significant as a document of interwar Catalan publishing and as one component of Joan Merlí’s magazine activity. A bibliographic source attributed to Torrent and Tassis reportedly misstates the last issue as having appeared on 15 January 1926. The documented publication record instead places the final issue on 31 January 1925. Historic copies have been digitised and made accessible through the ARCA portal, the archive of antique Catalan magazines maintained through the Biblioteca de Catalunya.
Products and positioning
An elegant, illustrated Catalan literary and art review presenting modern writers, poetry, biographies, and visual culture to a culturally engaged readership in 1920s Barcelona.
Literary and art magazine · 1924
La Mà trencada
A fortnightly Catalan-language periodical combining poetry, literary contributions, author biographies, and coverage of plastic arts. Its 20-page issues used a two-column format and included numerous illustrations. Contributors and featured figures included several important Catalan writers, while the visual material included sculpture by Enric Casanovas and work associated with Pablo Ruiz Picasso.
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