Atheneo de Grandesa

The Atheneo de Grandesa (Catalan pronunciation: [ətəˈnɛw ðə ɣɾənˈdɛzə], modern spelling Ateneu de Grandesa) is an emblem book written in the Catalan language by Josep Romaguera and published in 1681 by the printer Joan Jolis in Barcelona.

Because the book was printed under censorship from the Inquisition, the preliminary materials include the ecclesiastical imprimatur.

The text's prologue is perhaps the most well-known fragment, since it defends Catalan as a literary language in a time when Castilian was a more frequent vehicle for literature in Spain.

The bulk of the Atheneo is in the form of a prose treatise, much in the style of Baltasar Gracián, and is divided into 14 chapters called "eminèncias."

In general, the chapters discuss ways of bettering oneself and striving at individual perfection.