The Spanish government subdelegate in love with a Norwegian explorer

GironaIt's unusual for a book presentation in Girona to be packed to the rafters—crosses would be made with a maximum of five people—despite being held in an auditorium. It's even more unusual for dozens of people to gather outside. But it's also unusual for a former village high school principal, teacher, art critic, cultural manager, and doctor in art history for a thesis on fantasy art to be the Spanish government's sub-delegate in Girona and present a book about a Norwegian explorer. Pere Parramon (Girona, 1977) has just published Fridtjof Nansen. Portraits, prints (SD Edicions), a short essay with a strong poetic vocation that explores, through various images and drawings of this 1922 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the universal vocation of this figure. A book born from Parramon's "love affair" with this "man of the past." universalisBut, far from wanting to "idealize" or "glorify" Fridtjof Nansen (Norway, 1860-1930), what he seeks above all is to present him as a "human being" to learn from his legacy.

The book is an opportunity to learn about the small world of an atypical Spanish government sub-delegate in Girona, given that he is a political newcomer. Running alongside current councilor Silvia Paneque in the city's 2023 municipal elections as number two, he took office a year ago, replacing Albert Bramon, who retired. At his inauguration, there was one notable absence: that of the mayor, Lluc Salellas. He is also the first secretary of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).

The 'Fram'

Parramon's particular infatuation with Nansen was born in 2010 during a trip to Oslo, when he visited the Fram Museum, dedicated to the ship built in 1892 and used for an expedition to the North Pole. They didn't reach it, but the Fram still holds the record for being the highest latitude wooden ship and reaching the South Pole. "Unlike previous ships, the Fram had been designed not to fight against nature, but to live in communion," reflects the art critic and writer. With a round ship, he did not seek to break the ice but allowed himself to be caught so that the currents would transport him towards the poles. "It was from the ship that I discovered the multifaceted figure of Nansen and I went to detail. of a deeply nationalist figure in his beginnings –he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Norwegian state–, but who, in his opinion, over time "turned around and realized that his work transcended the flag." helped 50 million people in the world.

Culture and education

"He, from his love for his people and his homeland, is capable of developing a love for humanity," Parramon analyzes. "National borders cease to have any weight. Nansen is one of the figures who forges ahead on the path of what the UN will become." From this premise, the writer draws a parallel with his way of understanding politics: "To vindicate the broad perspective that implies consensus, because democracy is diversity." Like the ship FramI understand that Parramon entered politics so that what he loves most—culture and education—would be part of a sphere where they are too often forgotten. He allowed himself to be trapped in the cold in order to achieve his goals. "It's not just respect for culture as a subdelegate—he's a regular at all the presentations and brings presentations to the subdelegation—but I think, feel, and decide from a cultural perspective. It's my natural space."

Service to others

Like Nansen's, his career has been meteoric: in 2023, he was directly number two on the municipal election list, and a year later he was already a deputy delegate of the Spanish government. It all began with a friendship with Paneque, who presented his book in Girona at an event in the main auditorium of the Casa de Cultura with the artist and professor Jordi Armengol. This event brought together different worlds, but especially attended by supporters of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party). "Paneque once told me that being of service to others is engaging," recalls Parramon, who believes that Nansen, despite "his youthful ego," eventually realized that "he was serving his country first and humanity second." He explains that "the importance of culture and education as fundamental elements for improving society" was what led him to take the plunge in his case. "It's rare for a doctor in art history and an art critic to dedicate himself to this task: it should be more highly valued," he says.

Diversity

Parramon's career, like Nansen's, has not only been meteoric in politics. When he finished his studies in art history, he began a scholarship at the Vila Casas Foundation, where he immediately went on to coordinate exhibitions. "But teaching called to me, and I decided to make a radical change," he says. That's how he took the secondary school entrance exams without having to be a temporary worker and ended up directing the Rafael Campalans Institute in Anglès, a task he combined with his doctorate and teaching at the University of Girona (UdG). After writing two novels in Catalan, he notes that his latest book is in Spanish, in part to "test himself," but also as a tribute to his mother, who was originally from Extremadura: "I think in Catalan, but I've always spoken to her in Spanish. For me, politics should be the art of knowing how to find consensus through diversity—we conclude with diversity—we conclude with diversity—partisanship and sectarianism, in the worst of cases."