Occitan culture has developed for the last thousand years. In close contact with the Arab civilisation of Andalusia, the Troubadours originated modern times in Europe. Occitan culture was highlighted during the baroque period. In 1904, Frédéric Mistral, occitan, won the Literature Nobel Prize. Over 100 Universities throughout the world, from the United States to Japan, study Occitan language and civilisation. Across between Spain and Italy, this culture asserts its vitality today in every field of human thought, literary or popular, from story-telling to music. Occitan culture provides a vital link between Northern Europe and Mediterranea for the 21st Century. |