Homage to Barcelona (Paperback, Rev. and Updated Ed)

Barcelona, according to Colm Toibin, is a place where culture is political in ways unlike any other city in Europe. Poetry is political, when it is written in the Catalan language banned by the Franco regime. Music is political, when it is El Cant de la Seneyen, the national anthem of Catalonia. Architecture is political, when it is the intellectual property of fiercely independent Catalonians gleaning from the mediaeval Gothic and Romanesque traditions. Even football is political, for when Barcelona are victorious over Madrid it is symbolic of the ancient capital of Catalonia defeating Spain. Homage to Barcelona mixes autobiography, history, travel guide and journalism. Toibin, fluent in both Spanish and Catalan, lived in Barcelona for years, resident during the Franco dictatorship and the transitory period afterward. He tells the stories of the city's heroes - Miro, Picasso, Dali, among just a few - laying them starkly against the fear and paranoia of Franco's rule. Myths surrounding the romanticism of the Spanish Civil War are analysed and debunked, next to chapters exploring the city's best restaurants and the seedy sex trade. The text often spews out facts at a mile a minute, but the voice is lyrical and impassioned. Toibin's meticulously researched details are not researched from a stuffy library, but rather from donkey rides up steep, rocky mountains, solitary walks on sandy moonlit beaches, dinner parties with locals, hitchhiking with Spanish holiday makers - the experiences only years of weaving oneself into the fabric of the city can give. Culminating in the pomp, ceremony and hasty regeneration in time for the 1992 Olympics, this is an honest and beautifully written tribute to a much beloved city. (Kirkus UK)

This title is a personal and carefully research account of Barcelona, from its founding to its huge growth in the 19th century. The author covers the city's: history; art and architecture; great churches and museums; cafes; port life; restaurants and fashionable nightclubs.

General

Imprint:	Picador
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	May 2010
Authors:	Colm Toibin
Dimensions:	196 x 129 x 16mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	224
Edition:	Rev. and Updated Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-330-37356-2
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Travel & holiday > Travel writing > General Books > History > European history > General Books > Travel > Travel writing > General Promotions
LSN:	0-330-37356-0
Barcode:	9780330373562

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