El Be Negre

El Be Negre, whose Catalan title means “The Black Sheep,” was an illustrated satirical weekly magazine published in Barcelona from 1931 until 1936. It emerged during the early months of the Second Spanish Republic and became one of the period’s notable Catalan vehicles for political criticism, literary humor, caricature, and social commentary. The publication took its name from the colloquial expression “...i un be negre!”, an emphatic phrase used to express denial, disbelief, skepticism, or dismissal. The magazine was founded by Amadeu Hurtado, Josep Maria Planes, Rossent Llates, and Just Cabot, with connections to the newspaper La Publicitat and the literary, artistic, and political weekly Mirador. Its creative model combined local Catalan satirical traditions with the influence of the French publication Le Canard enchaîné. It also followed earlier Catalan humor and political titles such as Papitu, La Campana de Gràcia, and L’Esquella de la Torratxa. Compared with some predecessors, El Be Negre cultivated a more restrained and intellectually pointed style. Its humor relied heavily on irony, ridicule, visual satire, and allusive criticism rather than solely on broad provocation. Josep Maria Planes served as the magazine’s director. The publication’s contributors included writers, illustrators, and humorists such as Josep Maria de Sagarra, Valentí Castanys i Borràs, Francesc Fontanals (“Soka”), Avel·lí Artís-Gener (“Tisner”), Manuel Amat, Ernest Guasp, Josep Maria Xicota, Andreu Avellí Artís, Carles Sinfeu, Enric Fernández Gual, Joan Cortès i Vidal, Joaquim Muntanyola, Salvador Mestres, Feliu Elies (“Apa”), and Romà Bonet (“Bon”). This broad network helped the magazine operate at the intersection of journalism, graphic art, literature, and political satire. El Be Negre was notably hostile to Lerrouxism, making Alejandro Lerroux and the Radical Republican Party frequent targets. Its criticism was not confined to opponents outside Catalan politics: although Planes was associated with Acció Catalana, the magazine also subjected that political current to scrutiny. Its editorial perspective was strongly anti-fascist, and its satire targeted international authoritarian figures including Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. This combination of Catalan political engagement, republican-era commentary, and anti-fascist criticism connected the magazine closely to the unstable political climate of the 1930s. The final issue appeared on 15 July 1936, immediately before the military uprising that triggered the Spanish Civil War. In total, the magazine published 245 issues. Its end was part of the broader collapse of the political and cultural environment in which it had operated. Planes later became a victim of the violence in Barcelona: after publishing articles concerning street violence and its relationship to the Iberian Anarchist Federation, he was assassinated by anarchists during the turmoil at the beginning of the Civil War. El Be Negre is therefore remembered both as a significant prewar Catalan satirical publication and as a cultural artifact closely bound to the fate of the Second Republic.

El Be Negre was created in Barcelona in 1931, at a moment when the newly established Second Spanish Republic generated intense political debate and expanded opportunities for public journalism and satire. The publication was founded by Amadeu Hurtado, Josep Maria Planes, Rossent Llates, and Just Cabot, figures connected with La Publicitat and the broader Catalan literary and cultural press. Its first issue appeared on 23 June 1931, only about two months after the Republic’s foundation. The title referred to the Catalan expression “...i un be negre!”, a phrase conveying emphatic disbelief or rejection. The magazine’s editorial identity was shaped by several precedents. It drew inspiration from the French satirical weekly Le Canard enchaîné and from Catalan publications including Papitu, La Campana de Gràcia, and L’Esquella de la Torratxa. El Be Negre developed a style that was sharp but comparatively discreet, using irony, caricature, literary wit, and indirect ridicule to challenge political and social pretensions. Josep Maria Planes was the director and one of the central figures in the project. The staff and contributor circle included prominent writers, illustrators, and humorists from Catalan cultural life, among them Josep Maria de Sagarra, Valentí Castanys i Borràs, Francesc Fontanals (“Soka”), Avel·lí Artís-Gener (“Tisner”), Manuel Amat, Ernest Guasp, Josep Maria Xicota, Andreu Avellí Artís, Carles Sinfeu, Enric Fernández Gual, Joan Cortès i Vidal, Joaquim Muntanyola, Salvador Mestres, Feliu Elies (“Apa”), and Romà Bonet (“Bon”). Their participation gave the magazine a hybrid character: it was simultaneously a political publication, an illustrated humor journal, and a platform for literary and artistic expression. Politically, El Be Negre was a persistent critic of Lerrouxism. Alejandro Lerroux, leader of the Radical Republican Party, was one of its recurring targets. The magazine’s independence also meant that it did not exempt Catalan political organizations from criticism. Although Planes was associated with Acció Catalana, that movement could itself be treated satirically. The magazine was also firmly anti-fascist, directing its humor at Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini as well as at domestic political actors. The publication’s history was inseparable from the increasing polarization and violence of the 1930s. Its final issue was released on 15 July 1936, just before the pro-fascist military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War. Across its lifespan, El Be Negre published 245 issues. Planes subsequently wrote about street violence in Barcelona and its connection with the Iberian Anarchist Federation. During the disorder at the beginning of the Civil War, he was assassinated by anarchists. His death underscored the lethal conditions surrounding the disappearance of the magazine and the destruction of much of the republican-era cultural environment. El Be Negre is consequently regarded as an important example of Catalan political satire during the Second Republic. Its legacy rests on the combination of illustrated humor, literary sophistication, anti-authoritarian criticism, and engagement with the political conflicts that preceded the Spanish Civil War.

1. 1936Publication ends

   The magazine releases its final issue on 15 July after a run of 245 issues.

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2. 1936Death of director Josep Maria Planes

   Planes is assassinated during the violence that accompanied the opening phase of the Spanish Civil War.

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3. 1931First issue published

   El Be Negre publishes its inaugural issue in Barcelona on 23 June, soon after the creation of the Second Spanish Republic.

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A witty, literary, and politically engaged Catalan satirical weekly combining illustration, irony, and pointed criticism of republican-era politics and fascism.

• El Be Negre weekly issuesSatirical magazine1931

  The publication’s core offering was a weekly illustrated magazine in Catalan. Its issues combined political commentary, caricature, literary humor, and social satire. The magazine used irony and ridicule to address Spanish and Catalan politics, public figures, and international authoritarian leaders during the Second Republic.

• 1931Adoption of an illustrated, literary-political satire formatStrategy

  The founders developed the magazine within the Catalan press while drawing on French and earlier Catalan satirical models.

  What changed. El Be Negre combined political criticism with caricature, literary wit, and restrained irony rather than relying only on overt polemic.

  Aftermath. The format established the publication as a distinctive Catalan satirical weekly during the Second Republic.

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• 1936Assassination of Josep Maria PlanesControversy

  Josep Maria Planes, the magazine’s director, was assassinated by anarchists during the violence in Barcelona at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. The killing followed his reporting on street violence and its connection with the Iberian Anarchist Federation.

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• 1936El Be Negre publishes its final issue

  The magazine ended publication on 15 July 1936 after producing 245 issues, immediately before the coup and civil conflict that transformed political and cultural life in Spain.

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• 1931El Be Negre begins publication in Barcelona

  The first issue of the illustrated Catalan satirical weekly appeared on 23 June 1931, shortly after the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic.

  OtherProduct launch
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1. El Be Negre