Books

 

What Catalans Want is a book that takes a concerted look at Catalonia at a moment when the country’s political future as a Spanish autonomous region has been called into question for the first time since this formula came into being in 1980. It does so by talking to representative personalities from all walks of life who provide clues about the recent developments in the country. Read more

 

“What’s up with Catalonia?” is a collection of brand-new essays —written in the last few months by experts in Catalan history, economy, language, culture, and politics— that explain why 1.5 million people took to the streets on Catalonia’s National Day, September 11, 2012, to demand independence from Spain, and how they are channeling that joyous, peaceful, democratic spirit toward the Declaration of Sovereignty, structures of state, and other steps toward having their own independent country.Read more

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History of Catalonia. 

This is a rigorous and enjoyable vision suitable for all kind of readers, easy and quick to read. The book by the Catalan Professor Jaume Sobrequés i Callicó, traces the past of Catalonia, from prehistorical times to the present. It is written for all Catalans without exception and also for those foreigners who want to have a general understanding of the origins of this country. This brief history shows how the Catalan nation, when it had a state of its own, played a leading role in Europe through many centuries. The book also explains how this state was attacked and eventually destroyed on September 11th 1714, and it gives an account of the subsequent struggle of the Catalan people to rise from their ashes and regain a place in history. Read more

 

“Barcelona, Catalonia: A View from the Inside”. A collection of Matthew Tree’s incisive essays about life, language, and politics in Catalonia, as told through the eyes of a Catalan-speaking Englishman, or an English-speaking Catalan, depending on your vantage point, and his. Matthew’s honesty and keen observations combined with his sharp wit and mastery of language (two languages!) give the reader a unique and compelling vision of Catalonia, rarely uncovered by the casual visitor, as he discusses what he promises is the next new state in Europe and its relationship with the state it currently belongs to.  Read more

 

“Homage to Barcelona”.

This book celebrates one of Europe’s greatest cities — a cosmopolitan city of vibrant architecture and art, great churches and museums, intriguing port life and extravagant nightclubs, restaurants and bars. It moves from the story of the city’s founding, and huge expansion in the nineteenth century, to the lives of Gaudi, Miro, Casals and Dali. It also examines the history of Catalan nationalism, the tragedy of the Civil War, the Franco years, and the transition from dictatorship to democracy which Colm Tóibín witnessed in the 1970s. Read more

 

Catalan Nationalism: Francoism, Transition and Democracy

Are the Catalans content with the outcome of the Spanish transition to democracy? Is there a future for Catalan nationalism within the EU? How does globalization impact upon the survival and development of nations without states such as Catalonia? Will increasing numbers of immigrants transform regional identities? Has devolution fostered secessionism in Catalonia? These are some of the key questions discussed in this book. Read more