Institut Ramon LLull

Our author has gathered and edited four brief essays into one organic whole which outlines the project on a rather peculiar history of Catalonia, and one which takes into account the facts (shed of any symbolism in the service of a cause) and aspires to answer an important question: why does Catalonia always lose? Gaziel is one of Europe’s most pertinent chroniclers from the beginning of the 20th century and a hallmark of Catalan and Spanish journalism. From his exile to France during the Civil War and, later on, enduring an intimate exile with his return to Spain during the Second World War, Gaziel takes an honest and critical look devoid of any triumphalism, leaving propaganda behind to face all evidence of defeat head on. The book is harsh, corrosive, awkward, revelatory and brilliant. A ruthless mirror stands before us. Here is a lucid and occasionally painful self-portrait.