1. Catalonia, that country that was headed for Ithaca and has become trapped in the Cercanías, has the virtue, from time to time, of publishing a fundamental book. Last year it was the Furtive Heart, which with the excuse of being the most complete biography of Josep Pla, was the War and Peace in Catalan. This year, it has already arrived in bookstores The memory of the Catalans, a fundamental volume. Under the direction of Borja de Riquer, it explains the historical construction of our identity in a manner that is neither ponderous, rigid, nor chronological. On the contrary, the 136 experts' desire to educate makes the 221 chapters—let no one find out beforehand—a selective and wise exploration of our collective memory. We are where we are, in 2025, thanks to the sum of the references that have shaped Catalonia's national memory. It is, therefore, a new way—entertaining and rigorous—of presenting history, gleaning cultural, social, and symbolic events, places of memory, personalities, and conflicts. You learn something on every page. I recommend taking three pills a day.
2. Empúries, Ripoll, Montserrat. The industrial colonies, the four bars, or Señor Esteve. The Nova Cançó, the major festivals, or the CotixCoti sardanistic festival. Scouting, human towers, and bullfighting. The maid, the new cuisine, or summer vacations as a social custom rooted in the bourgeoisie. The four bars, the reapers, or the drummer from Bruc. Bernat Médico, the Floral Games, and Father Cinto. Barça, banditry, and the Battle of the Ebro. Pedagogical renewal, the Republican exile, or the Institut d'Estudis Catalans, as a leading academy of culture. To choose from and to stir. And to read with a notebook at your side to take notes on so much knowledge to acquire about our world, our surroundings, and a past to which we are heirs.
3. And, perhaps, some omissions to be corrected in future editions. Of the six chapters dedicated to the media, the press is not mentioned. Newspapers, before radio, long before television, played a fundamental role in Catalan identity. Everything said about photography, cinema, poster art, the Catalan radio dream, television as a window to the country, and even the internet and social media is very pertinent. But of all the informational relevance to the population through newspapers, up until the Civil War, nothing is said about the phenomenon of the local press, either. Nor about the key role of theToday After forty years of obscurity, nor of the Catalan translations ofThe Newspaper either The Vanguard Or, I raise my finger, about the creation of the ARA. Josep Maria Cadena, on the other hand, writes an excellent chapter on satirical magazines and the image they shaped of Catalans.
4. Now that Sant Jordi is coming, it's interesting to look at its history. In 2026, it will be one hundred years since we celebrated it. Although, originally, World Book Day was on October 7th, the supposed date of Cervantes's birth. The holiday was moved to April 23rd so it wouldn't coincide with the textbook sales at the start of the school year. And so it has remained since Sant Jordi 1931. It's surprising that, from the very beginning, writers were invited to sign books at stalls and a ranking of best-selling titles was distributed. This, then, isn't new. Therefore, the day after Sant Jordi, the newspapers will continue to publish the lists. And, of course, the media will make the usual distinction between fiction and non-fiction, those in Catalan on the one hand and those in Spanish on the other. And the result, so different depending on the language, will show us that language already determines the type of stories we read. However, let me say that if there were a third list, that of essential books, this volume of The memory of the Catalans, full and exhaustive, should be at the top of the podium.
