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Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali
William H. Robinson ,
Jordi Falgas , and
Carmen Bellon Lord
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0300121067 |
Book Description
During the years after the September Revolution of 1868, Barcelona experienced tremendous industrial growth and emerged as the most politically and culturally progressive city in Spain. Barcelona and Modernity examines this remarkable seventy-one-year period, when Barcelona also reigned as one of the most dynamic centers of modernist art and architecture in Europe. Focusing on the Catalan Renaixença, Modernisme, Noucentisme, avant-garde movements of the early 20th century, and artistic reactions to the Spanish Civil War, essays by an extraordinary international team of scholars offer new insights into the work of such Catalan artists as Antoni Gaudí, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dalí, among others, by setting them in context with the art of their teachers, colleagues, and rivals.
With approximately 350 works in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, photography, furniture, decorative arts, and architectural design—this intriguing book also explores how Catalan artists derived inspiration from local traditions while contributing their own innovations to international modernism. Broader in scope than any previous treatment of the subject, this book is sure to alter popular perceptions of Catalonia and become a fundamental text for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful, but confused.......2007-04-28
The catalogue for an exhibition held at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2006 and at the Met in NY in 2007, this book is beautifully illustrated and very well written. It is a treasure trove of information on the history of Barcelona and enables the reader to discover some great and overlooked artists like the painters Ramon Casas (a sort of Spanish Manet) and Santiago Rusiñol, or the architect and designer Josep Puig i Cadafalch and many others, responsible for the intellectual growth of this city between 1868 (the September Revolution) and 1939 (the power seizure by Franco), which is the period the exhibition covers. Obviously, the most famous personalities are not forgotten (Picasso, Miro, Dali and Gaudi whose names appear on the front cover).
Now, the organization of the book is somewhat confusing. Divided into 9 chapters, from the Rebirth ("Renaixença")in the late 1860's to Modernism (seen through painting, sculpture, graphic arts, society, architecture and design)and "Noucentisme" (the classical renewal) up to the Avant-Gardes and the Civil War in the late 1930's, it follows a more or less chronological logic. However, the checklist of the artists, at the end of the book, is very confusing: it is very difficult to know the location of the paintings or works of art illustrated and you constantly have to refer to that list to have the dimensions of the works. Instead of a list by artists, I think a list by works displayed in the exhibition and illustrated in the book would have been more suitable.
On the whole, a scholarly publication, but a little difficult to follow.
Book Description
Days are long in Barcelona, the morning extends until well after midday, with lunch starting around 2pm, and the late opening hours mean the afternoon merges into evening. With all of this time on your hands you want to make the most of it, and the Eyewitness Travel to Barcelona and Catalonia will help you to make the most of your time and your trip. Find out intimate details about each of the cities and what to do and see. Don't miss the new feature called Four Great Days in Barcelona. Each day maps out an itinerary ranging from Gaudi Greats to Family Fun.
Customer Reviews:
great resource.......2007-09-09
Very useful guidebook. Compact and easy to carry around. Easy to read with great pictures and street maps (includes metro line maps too). Very helpful in deciding which sites are most important to visit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting an easy guide to travel around Barcelona and Catalonia.
Loved Barcelona.......2007-04-20
I really liked the Eye Witness travel guide for Barcelona. It made it very easy to find sites and I love having all the pictures so you can determine if this is a site you actaully want to see. But I do wish that there was a top 10 list of places that you absolutely need to see. You never want to leave a city and think that you missed seeing something very important.
Beautiful book, beautiful city.......2007-02-11
I went to Barcelona recently, and in the planning of the trip I consulted four guide books:
Lonely Planet's Barcelona City Guide
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Barcelona and Catalonia
Cadogan Guides Barcelona (Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls)
Time Out Barcelona
All of them were good. I took two with me: Lonely Planet and Eyewitness.
The reasons I chose those two:
Eyewitness unfailingly has a good quality map, which in my view is LP's downfall. Eyewitness always includes a Street Finder Index which LP does not, and LP often misses out on streets other than the major ones, which can be very frustrating, especially in a city like Barca where there are many alleyways. I never use Eyewitness for hotels - the information is scant and usually more expensive than my (more Lonely Planet) budget, but it has fantastic colour photos and cutaways of buildings, and illustrations which place buildings within their streetscapes. It's a nice book to read on the bus or train going somewhere.
LP specialises in listings, which seemed to be more up-to-date and comprehensive than either Time Out or Cadogan, It also had a good Excursions section which helped a couple of times when I travelled beyond the city. I also liked a couple of the walking routes they recommended. Information on matters such as public transport is comprehensive and detailed. I like the chapters on history, architecture and food as well.
Time Out's great strength was in helping to plan. It had a huge array of hotels, and if you were especially interested in nightlife, I would take Time Out. I was there primarily for a conference, and many of my evenings were organised. And I'm also night a great nightclubber, perhaps contrary to Barca lifestyle!! If you are - consider Time Out. Its maps were pretty good, but not comprehensive for the area I was staying in, beachside Barceloneta.
That is where the Cadogan guide excelled. Its maps were so good that I pulled them out of the book and took them with me. I would have taken the whole book, but for the weight in my suitcase! Its info about places and sights seemed accurate and comprehensive.
Barcelona (Eyewitness Travel Guides).......2007-01-09
I like Eyewitness Travel Guides books by DK Publishing. The Barcelona Eyewitness Travel guide is as good as I expected. I could recomend travel books by DK Publishing to everybody. It has all the information you need to feel comfortable in the foreign country.
Book Description
STREETWISE(r) BARCELONA
Revised yearly, STREETWISE(r) is the best-selling map of BARCELONA, with coverage from Museu Militar to Casa-Museu Gaudi. Localities covered are Museu Picasso, Teatre del Liceu, and Portal de la pau Placa. Points of interest such as museums, hotels, parks, and popular sites are highlighted and fully indexed. The Old City Center is clearly indicated on a map inset. Laminated for durability, accordion folded to fit in your pocket or purse, STREETWISE(r) gives you BARCELONA in a clear, concise, and convenient format.
Customer Reviews:
Barcelona Map.......2007-02-18
An excellent map - easy to read and to fold. Highly recommended.
Accurate and tough the Streetwise Map.......2005-12-28
The Streetwise Biblao was sure a helop to me as a tourist. Bilbao is a city in which few speak English (even at the hotels) and I found the map a godsend. It was to scale and accurate even as to the difficult Basque spelling of words. I had another map with me (It will go un-named) and it was a joke. I've come to rely on Streetwise over the years and have neve been disapointed except when they don't have a title for the city I'm visiting.
old.......2005-03-05
This map is generally useful and the plastic format is very convenient, but although this site says the map is c. 2001, the map I got was a 1996 version, and therefore missing some significant developments since then, e.g., the Raval Rambla.
This map is missing detail.......2005-02-12
In engineering we learn that when you optimize for one feature
you sometimes have to give up other features, or scale them
back. Perhaps this is the issue with this map.
The Streetwise map of Barcelona is designed so that it will
easily fit in your pocket or purse. It is plastic or plasticized
paper, so it is sturdy. But what is lost is detail. For example,
the street in the Ravel where I will be renting an apartment is
not shown on the map.
The map does show the subway and bus routes which is nice too.
But if you need detail, you need another map. I highly
recommend the Rough Guide maps. They are detailed and
very tough. My survived daily use for two weeks.
Book Description
A better value than all the competition, these pocket travel guides offer travelers the insight of local experts to easily plan the perfect trip. Take the work out of planning any trip with DK's Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides. Branded with DK's trusted and familiar "Eyewitness" style, these compact guides make finding the best every destination has to offer easier than ever before! Perfect for business travel and vacation, searching for the finest cuisine or the least expensive places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or the best deals on places to stay, the best family destination or the hottest nightspot, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides provide current, useful information based on the insight of local experts to find the best of everything that each destination has to offer.
Customer Reviews:
The only guide you need for Barcelona.......2007-01-22
I spent 7 days in Barcelona in Nov 2006 and though I did some research before I arrived, took only this book with me. As an independent traveler (no tour groups) I used it very heavily during my stay - not only as my primary map and metromap, but as my only reference for locations, hours, and priorities in determining my daily itineraries. I also occasionally used it for restaurant, tapas bar and shopping recommendations. It never led me astray.
It is very current - it even references that a few places will be closed for repair until month X to save you the effort of going there. And the way one large section of the guide is broken out by neighborhood makes it extremely easy to figure out the best way to spend your time in a given part of the city (it also suggests itineraries for each neighborhood if you don't want to plan them out yourself).
It's also a great size - easy to toss in a daypack, purse, or even jacket pocket.
I fully agree with the two previous reviews that the layout of the maps and color-coding of the sights makes it very easy to keep on track - even in a city as large as this one. And that Park Guell ought to be in the Top 10.
My only suggestion for how it could improve would be to give even more "tips" than it sometimes does on the sides of pages. For instance, visit the National Art Museum of Catalunya in the latter afternoon on a Fri/Sat/Sun and stay for the Magic Fountain display at dusk. Visit La Pedrera near sunset (unless midsummer does not allow it) and go up on the roof as the sun sets and the lights come on. It's magical.)
I've traveled pretty extensively and used a lot of different travel guides, others of which I can also recommend. But this is hands-down the very best I have ever used and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you are spending even one day in Barcelona.
There should be one of these for every city!.......2006-03-12
It was the perfect guide for my independent trip to Barcelona. It is the most user friendly city guide I used (I've also used Rick Steves and Rough Guide). The guide first identifies the top 10 sites and then what I loved is that it marks them on a map with numbers making it really easy to spot. The map in the guide was great and in color. It made my trip so enjoyable because I knew what I wanted to do and where to get there. Also, becasue it showed all the locations of the sites on a map I could easily plan which sites to see all in one area and thus make the most out of my days. It also gives history behind each site and also lists the top 10 things to see at each attraction!
I loved this guide and wished they had one for more cities!
The one complaint I have is that I really think Park Guell should be listed in the top 10. I almost missed the park (where the tradmark colored frog is and Gaudi's home) but a hostelmate told me about it. It is listed in the top ten for parks but just be aware that that park is a must see.
The perfect travel companion.......2005-08-03
I decided to check out the Top 10 guide for Barcelona given the excellent experience I had in London with a similar guide on a past trip to the UK. I noticed the same compelling points with this guide as I'd noticed with the London guide -- a concise list of things to do in city, a list of various neighborhoods, list of best cafes/bars and sample itineraries for spending an entire day in each neighborhood, the top 10 things to look for at each attraction, and the best feature: the compact size of the guide.
But I was looking for more than just the above -- I was traveling to a city where people don't talk in English after all. What I really liked about the guide was the main map that showed all the important street in an uncluttered fashion, and the mini-maps that were included in the assorted Top 10 lists, making it a breeze to locate the attraction or cafe/bar. I also loved the list of the Top 10 drinks you'll find only in Barcelona like the "Orxata", the "Granissat" and of course, the "Sangria" that is refereshingly different from what you might have had anywhere else. There are similar lists for food items (definitely try the "Pallela"), shops, etc. These are the things that make you blend in with the locals with confidence.
I also loved the section on Streetsmarts -- when you're in a country where English is not the first language, you sometimes need a helping hand with even the simplest of things -- like what is the best deal on the Barcelona Metro? Should I buy single tickets or a "T-10" for 10 tickets? How do I make a local phone call? What should I avoid? (Answer: touristy scams at La Rambla). The Top 10 guide's Streetsmart section covers many of these "small" things on your mind and also include a few pages with popular Spanish/Catalan phrases with translation in English, eliminating the need to carry a phrase book, if any.
With this guide, I was able to see Barcelona according to my schedule and tastes. I took in all the touristy attractions and spent time exploring specific neighborhoods like El Raval, Eixample and interesting detours. Not a day went by when I wasn't glad for having this guide by my side -- and at under 10 bucks a pop, I'm quickly acquiring a collection.
Book Description
Bordered by Mediterranean beaches and packed with beguiling architecture and stunning art, Barcelona is the Catalan capital of cool. Whether you're here for the world-renowned restaurants, funky tapas haunts, lively festivals, or to find your favourites among the traditional bodegas, cocktail lounges and late, late clubs - our insider's take on every aspect of the city is all you need for a smart and stylish stay.
o EXPLORE the backstreets of the most distinctive neighbourhoods with our easy-to-follow walking tours and detailed colour maps
o SHOP IN STYLE with our area-by-area guide to the city's retail treats
o DRINK IT ALL IN - follow our resident author to the hottest nightspots
o SLEEP WELL in hostels by the beach or the hippest boutique hotels
o GET OUT OF TOWN - sip cava in the Pened's, tour medieval Girona or seek out the hidden gems of the Costa Brava
Customer Reviews:
Not bad for a first-time traveller, but needs to be updated!.......2007-09-21
I've always found LP guidebooks helpful - they fit our budget, have an interesting range of suggestions for sights to see, and are usually dead-on with descriptions. This was the first one that let us down on our travels. It is very frustrating for two people new to a city to make their way, starving at 3 pm, to a "highly recommended" restaurant and find it no longer in business. And this happened to us thrice! Two restaurants had closed down, and one had changed name and ownership. We had also taken DK's Real City Barcelona guide, and this was much more useful. Its choices were affordable (look for the check mark next to the listing that indicates a good deal), diverse and filled with locals - always a positive sign.
I did still use Lonely Planet for planning itineraries for our days in Barcelona, but feel the book has lost some of the go-to quality that I once associated with LP guides. Time for a new edition, and one that thoroughly investigates what goes between the covers!
Useful, detailed map of the city.......2007-04-10
This is a nice, detailed map of the main part of Barcelona's city. It has all of the major sites labeled right on the map, and it includes all streets, even the very small ones. It also has a subway map, which is a necessity. It doesn't include much of the outskirts, but that is fine for a map of this size. The plastic covering on the map has come in handy, but it isn't completely sealed, so it did leak in a little water when I used it in the rain. Glad I bought it - I would buy it again!
Best Barcelona Gudie Book Ever.......2007-03-30
My boyfriend and I had three days to spend in Barcelona and I'm so glad we had this book. It was super up-to-date (i.e., warning us ahead of time that the cable cars at Montjuic were under construction and non-operational) and the views on the suggested walking tours -- especially the Modernisme walking tour -- were gorgeous.
Most importantly, the eating guide within was very helpful.
Sound guide to a fanbulous city.......2007-02-11
I went to Barcelona recently, and in the planning of the trip I consulted four guide books:
Lonely Planet's Barcelona City Guide
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Barcelona and Catalonia
Cadogan Guides Barcelona (Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls)
Time Out Barcelona
All of them were good. I took two with me: Lonely Planet and Eyewitness.
The reasons I chose those two:
LP specialises in listings, which seemed to be more up-to-date and comprehensive than either Time Out or Cadogan, It also had a good Excursions section which helped a couple of times when I travelled beyond the city. I also liked a couple of the walking routes they recommended. Information on matters such as public transport is comprehensive and detailed. I like the chapters on history, architecture and food as well.
I took Eyewitness because it unfailingly has a good quality map, which in my view is LP's downfall. Eyewitness always includes a Street Finder Index which LP does not, and LP often misses out on streets other than the major ones, which can be very frustrating, especially in a city like Barca where there are many alleyways. I never use Eyewitness for hotels - the information is scant and usually more expensive than my (more Lonely Planet) budget, but it has fantastic colour photos and cutaways of buildings, and illustrations which place buildings within their streetscapes. It's a nice book to read on the bus or train going somewhere.
Time Out's great strength was in helping to plan. It had a huge array of hotels, and if you were especially interested in nightlife, I would take Time Out. I was there primarily for a conference, and many of my evenings were organised. And I'm also night a great nightclubber, perhaps contrary to Barca lifestyle!! If you are - consider Time Out. Its maps were pretty good, but not comprehensive for the area I was staying in, beachside Barceloneta.
That is where the Cadogan guide excelled. Its maps were so good that I pulled them out of the book and took them with me. I would have taken the whole book, but for the weight in my suitcase! Its info about places and sights seemed accurate and comprehensive.
Old Information.......2006-06-01
We used Lonely Planet guidebooks all over Europe while we were there with our kids for 7 months. This book was the first time Lonely Planet let us down.
The book is organized badly and it was full of bad information. Two of the restaurants that were recommended in the book (both of which sounded as if they had been there forever) were nowhere to be found. In fact, one was a pile of rubble. This was very frustrating when you're hungry and you're dragging four kids around the city looking for a place to eat.
Customer Reviews:
very good.......2007-07-27
This map is excellent because it can get wet and be folded in every way, it will not brake, because of it's material. It misses a metro map, though, but you can get one for free in many places in Barcelona, so it's not a problem.
Wonderfully Useful Map.......2006-11-10
My wife and I spent 6 days in Barcelona and this map was great. While many teensy streets are not shown (including the one where we rented an apartment), to do so would probably expand the size of the map to the size of a barn.
As it is, we navigated our way around perfectly with the map in hand. It shows the Old City in expanded view, details the subway system, includes outlying areas like Parc Guell, clearly labels and demarcates all the attractions and was indispensable.
Best of all, it has a rain-shedding coating that allowed me to fold and refold and bend and generally torture the map endlessly and it's still in excellent condition and can probably be used for another 3 trips.
Get it! You won't regret this purchase.
Barcelona, The Rough Guide Map.......2006-11-10
The Rough Guide plastic waterproof map series provides a durable and easy-to-read product. The Barcelona map depicts different geographic areas at various scales, supplemented by not only an excellent street index but also recommendations for shopping, eating, drinking, venues and hotels. All in all, an outstanding pocket guide to facinating Barcelona.
I used this map for two weeks..........2005-04-28
I used this map daily during a two week stay in Barcelona.
It was indespensible.
The Rough Guide map has a number of nice features. It shows
the location of many locations of interest. Not only
the standard tourists sites, but resturants and hotels.
The map is also accurate and detailed.
The sterling feature of this map is that it is printed on
tough material (some kind of plastic). So it could survive
two weeks of being folded and unfolded without ripping.
The durability of the Rough Guide maps is a huge selling
point and I recommend them for any destination, not just
Barcelona.
The only thing that the map is missing is a map of the
Metro which is the primary way to get around Barcelona.
However, free maps are available at the offices that
sell tickets at the major metro stations.
Book Description
This is the ultimate reference book for all the essentials — where to stay, where to eat, where to shop, and what to see in Barcelona. Individual chapters cover regional trips including the region's glorious beaches. Information for festivals and events, gay and lesbian interests, music, children's activities, nightlife, sports and fitness, dance and film, and much more are also provided. An A to Z list of resources, an index, and detailed maps expand the book’s usefulness.
Customer Reviews:
Buy Time Out for nightlife listings for a late-night city.......2007-02-11
I went to Barcelona recently, and in the planning of the trip I consulted four guide books:
Lonely Planet's Barcelona City Guide
Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Barcelona and Catalonia
Cadogan Guides Barcelona (Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls)
Time Out Barcelona
All of them were good. I took two with me: Lonely Planet and Eyewitness.
The reasons I chose those two:
Eyewitness unfailingly has a good quality map, which in my view is LP's downfall. Eyewitness always includes a Street Finder Index which LP does not, and LP often misses out on streets other than the major ones, which can be very frustrating, especially in a city like Barca where there are many alleyways. I never use Eyewitness for hotels - the information is scant and usually more expensive than my (more Lonely Planet) budget, but it has fantastic colour photos and cutaways of buildings, and illustrations which place buildings within their streetscapes. It's a nice book to read on the bus or train going somewhere.
LP specialises in listings, which seemed to be more up-to-date and comprehensive than either Time Out or Cadogan, It also had a good Excursions section which helped a couple of times when I travelled beyond the city. I also liked a couple of the walking routes they recommended. Information on matters such as public transport is comprehensive and detailed. I like the chapters on history, architecture and food as well.
Time Out's great strength for me was in helping to plan. It had a huge array of hotels, and if you were especially interested in nightlife, I would take Time Out. I was there primarily for a conference, and many of my evenings were organised. And I'm also night a great nightclubber, perhaps contrary to Barca lifestyle!! If you are - consider Time Out. Its maps were pretty good, but not comprehensive for the area I was staying in, beachside Barceloneta.
That is where the Cadogan guide excelled. Its maps were so good that I pulled them out of the book and took them with me. I would have taken the whole book, but for the weight in my suitcase! Its info about places and sights seemed accurate and comprehensive.
Not updated!.......2006-05-12
Don't buy this guide if you are headed to Barcelona soon...The reaon I gave it a 3-Starts rating is that some of the bars this guide recommends do not exist anymore! I wanted to go to three of them and they were all closed or replaced by other businesses.
Not too touristy!.......2005-09-12
We just returned from Barcelona two weeks ago. We had three guide books with us, and this is the one that we consistently carried around. The books were identical in terms of the touristy information and sites. But where Time Out really shines is in the food and drink and nightlife sections. We tried many of their listings and they did not steer us wrong once. Also, their listing s are for places where locals also frequent, which makes for a much more pleasant trip! We had a fabulous time in Barcelona. A couple of recommendations: Park Guell is worth the trip. The following tapas bars were delicious and swarming with locals: Euskal Etxea, Bar Celta Pulperia (get the pulpo and acompany it with a bottle of albarino), and Cerveceria Catalania.
Book Description
The Time of the Doves, the powerfully written story of a naïve shop-tender during the Spanish Civil War and beyond, is a rare and moving portrait of a simple soul confronting and surviving a convulsive period in history. The book has been widely translated, and was made into a film.
Customer Reviews:
Tour-de-force.......2007-03-06
What a terrific story. Set during the turbulent years of the Spanish Civil War and dictatorship, of the 1930's and 40's, the novel traces the mediocre and often turbulent life of Natalia, nicknamed "Colometa", through difficult years of famine and depression, as a young mother and unskilled laborer in Catalonia.
We're not talking about an overtly political novel here: this is a story of the human condition, the suffering that any one of us endures at some point in our individual lives. The author scarcely mencions political struggle, nor does she take sides; the dominant theme here is the perpetual plight of a passive yet resiliant female who fights for survival in a brutal and depressed urban environment.
The first person narration creates a wonderful tone. The narrator is soulful, spontaneous, and often gutwrenching. Her language is extremely natural and authentic. The prose reads as if it were a transcription of someone's internal thought process: unpredictable yet familiar. The reader forms an intense emotional bond with the narrative voice that leads to an abundance of tear-jerking moments.
This is the kind of novel that you become attatched to, whether you are a casual reader or a literature scholar. I picked it up an couldn't put it down.
Lastly this novel represents a keen example of true minority struggle under the harsh conditions of a dictatorship. Its original language of publication, Catalan, was prohibited in 1939 by the Spanish government, and therefore, its mere existance is an act of rebellion.
Don't confuse this female story of survival with the sappy victimist writers of the Gloria Anzaldua type - "Colometa" is a real survivor, whose struggle inspires compassion and reflection.
A Life During Conflict.......2007-01-10
This novel, written by Merce Rodoreda during her exile from Spain and well after the Spanish Civil War, describes the life of a woman who grows from young adulthood through middle age during political upheaval. She could have described war, or poverty, or death, or fear, and appealed solely to sentiment but she does not. This novel is rich and complex, appealing to both sense and sensation. Her protagonist, Quimet, is usually sympathetic but sometimes not, as most human beings are.
While the Spanish Civil War is the setting for this novel, Rodoreda writes outside the lines and makes a book which describes this specific place and anyplace. To give context to other reviewers' displeasure with the translated title of La Placa del Diamante, Franco forbid Catalans, the residents of Barcelona and Merce Rodoreda among them, to speak their own language. Language is primary to Catalans and Rodoreda was a Catalan writer despite Franco.
Rodoreda writes tangible descritions of poverty and unhappiness, sliding back and forth from the concrete outside world and the narrator's sometimes dreamy interior world. The shifts in description themselves describe how Quimet's consciousness is altered by poverty, by hunger, by death and by redemption.
This is an excellent and thoughtful novel, and a pleasure to read.
Emotionally Powerful.......2006-10-30
This is an amazingly powerful book. It is narrated by a young girl in Spain just before, during, and after the Spanish Civil War. The style is something like stream-of-consciousness. The narrator is niave and almost somewhat passive in her life. She describes herself as lacking the guidance of a mother, as her mother died, and in many ways lacking the love of her father, who, after her mother's death, remains mostly silent. For this reason, she is left to find her own way.
The book begins with Natalia's courtship by Quimet, her eventual husband. The entire episode is wonderfully wrought - Natalia is very naive and pretty much accepts whatever Quimet does (and he's not always the nicest guy).
Natalia lives through the war, and the book does an amazing job of conveying what we today would term "post-traumatic stress disorder." After starving and living in fear, Natalia is never really the same. But of course, like many, she doesn't understand what she feels and, in fact, makes no attempt to understand. And that is the power of book - it shows us what she feels, it is not explicit, it arouses the emotion and leaves you powerfully affected.
Hugging a dove.......2006-04-14
Incredibly tender and sweet story. Beautifully written. I grew up in Gr?cia and reading the book brings me back there more directly than a charter flight (I've been living abroad for 11 years). It brings me back to Gr?cia to give "la Colometa" a big hug.
P.S.: it's shocking Amazon give the title in Spanish rather than the original title in Catalan- it makes as much sense as giving the title in Chinese.
La Plaça del Diamant.......2003-05-10
In my opinion, this is one of the most tender and at the same time hard book written in the 20th century in Catalonia. It mixes love, passion, deep feelings among one of the most difficults times that we Catalans have lived and we still live: the represion in all senses of the Spanish Kingdom.
I would like to suggest to Amanzon, a shop that sells culture, to respect the Catalan culture and not to translate the Catalan book titles into Spanish. The title of this book is "La Plaça del Diamant" (Catalan) and not "La Plaza del Diamante" (Spanish) I am absolutly sure that Merce Rodoreda, a woman who lived the repression on the Spanish for writing, thinking and expressing herself as a Catalan, would appreciate a lot that you keep her titles as they are in bweten brackets: in Catalan.
Average customer rating:
- Historia narrada desde Barcelona
- Excelente lectura
- EXCELENTE NOVELA EPICA-HISTORICA
- De lo mejor que he leido
- Terribly dissapointing
|
La catedral del mar
Ildefonso Falcones
Manufacturer: Grijalbo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
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Similar Items:
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El Principe de la Niebla
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Travesuras de la nina mala / Mischiefs of the Bad Girl
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Ines del Alma Mia: Novela
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Abril rojo/Red April
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La Sombra Del Viento/ the Shadow of the Wind (Autores Espa~noles E Iberoamericanos)
ASIN: 0307376656
Release Date: 2006-11-07 |
Book Description
Año 1320, en Navarcles, en la masía próspera de Bernat Estanyol se celebra la boda de éste con Francesca. Sin embargo, la llegada del señor feudal, Llorenç de Bellera, reclamando su derecho de pernada sobre la joven, será el principio de una serie de calamidades para los Estanyol: Francesca jamás perdonará a su marido que no haya evitado el abuso. El señor De Bellera le requiere para servir como nodriza de su hijo recién nacido, hasta el punto, de descuidar a su propio bebé, Arnau. Bernat decide raptar a su hijo y huir a Barcelona para conseguir la ciudadanía que lo acredite como hombre libre y no siervo de Bellera. Acude a su hermana, casada con un rico ceramista, Grau Puig, que a regañadientes acepta ayudarlos. Bernat trabaja como obrero mientras Arnau se cría con sus primos primero y luego con su padre en el taller. Pasa los días correteando por la ciudad y conoce a Joan, un niño de su edad cuya madre ha sido emparedada por adúltera. Ambos niños, hermanados y cómplices, se sienten fascinados por la construcción de la iglesia de Santa María del Mar y se convierten en devotos de la virgen en la cual encuentran el consuelo de sus madres ausentes. Se hacen amigos de los bastaixos, los estibadores que acarrean desinteresadamente pesadas piedras para la construcción de la Iglesia. Hay hambruna en Barcelona, y Bernat es expulsado de su trabajo por meterse en revueltas callejeras y acaba siendo colgado y expuesto en plaza pública ante la desesperación de los dos niños. Por la noche Arnau con la complicidad de Joan prende fuego al cadáver de su padre y decide entrar a trabajar con los bastaixos, colaborando en la construcción de la iglesia de la virgen a quien venera. Joan entretanto estudia para dominico..
Cuando la guerra estalla, Arnau no duda en prestar ayuda al rey Pedro III bloqueando el paso al enemigo, el rey Pedro Cruel de Castilla, con sus barcos mercantes, lo que le vale el reconocimiento real, una baronía y la mano de la prohijada del rey, Leonor. Este matrimonio será el principio de su desgracia : una mujer que lo desea ardientemente y a quien él no desea, la joven y bella Mar enamorada de él y tal vez él de ella, Joan convertido en un sacerdote de la Inquisición y que reprueba su vida, una conspiración de los nobles que lo condenan por favorecer a los campesinos y entre los que se encuentra el hijo de Llorenç de Bellera y sus primos los Puig. Una conspiración que culmina cuando Arnau es denunciado a la Santa Inquisición por su mujer por no cumplir con sus deberes conyugales y por supuestos amores prohibidos con una judía. Todo parece conspirar contra Arnau, y mientras la construcción de Santa María del Mar sigue prosperando, su vida parece desmoronarse...
Extraordinario retrato de la época medieval en Cataluña, la veneración a la Virgen del Mar y la construcción de la Iglesia, de los gremios y barrios de la ciudad de Barcelona, de las luchas de clases entre obreros, campesinos y señores feudales, la xenofobia contra la judería, el peso de la Inquisición. Historia, intrigas sociales, venganza, guerra, conspiración y amor en un fresco de época que sólo tiene una comparación: Los pilares de la tierra.
Customer Reviews:
Historia narrada desde Barcelona.......2007-09-01
En pleno siglo XIV, que realiza Idefolso Falcones como un claro retrato de la evolución de dicha ciudad, en medio de la intolerancia religiosa, de intrigas, lealtad, amor y segregación social
Excelente lectura.......2007-08-27
Maravilloso paparelismo entre la vida de un hombre y un aconteciemiento histórico como lo es la construcción de una catedral.
EXCELENTE NOVELA EPICA-HISTORICA.......2007-08-19
Este libro conllevó muchas horas de estudios de historia y de derecho de la época. Yo conocía la Catedral desde hacía más de 10 años y me impresionó. Siempre me marcó su estructura e imponencia arquitectónica. Al leer el libro, tuve que ir nuevamente a Barcelona y verla desde otro punto de vista. Un punto de vista distinto, más humano y hasta melancólico. La Catedral te embriaga con su narrativa, te mantiene al filo de lo próximo que va a suceder y hasta gritas con Arnau Estanyol: VIA FORA!!!!!. Con esta obra, si no eres catalán, te conviertes en uno.
La historia de los bastaixos, la explicación de la vida de los judíos y los moros, las trampas, celos, intrigas envueltas en esta novela te mantienen atado. Se puede leer de un tirón si uno se lo propone. No se puede dejar para volverla a retomar en otro momento. Pocas obras lo hacen y ésta es una de esas.
De lo mejor que he leido.......2007-08-13
Si buscan un gran libro, que entretenga, te emocione (sobre todo si tienes hijos), y quieras guardar en casa para un futuro, este es el libro que debes tener. Tus hijos disfrutarán de él dentro de muchos años.
La historia te mantiene todo el tiempo y no eres capaz de dejarlo.
Es un libro para releer cada 2-3 años y recordar como era la vida antes de cualquier tecnología. La fe de las personas movía el Mundo en esa época, y hemos llegado hasta hoy gracias a gente como la que construía catedrales como la del libro.
Terribly dissapointing.......2007-07-30
I don't frankly know where to start since "La Catedral del mar" has so many flaws that make it a bad reading in the end; I will simply mention a few.
1) Mr. Falcones uses every medieval cliché available, at the end of the book argues that most of the historical facts are true but miserably fails to really portray the life of nobility and peasants of medieval Catalonia where the story takes place.
2) He tries so hard to make a tribute to Catalonia and Barcelona that he ends having some unbearable paragraphs, for example giving explanations that feel obvious and end up making the story slower and were not really necessary. A real tribute comes forward alone in a realistic way, the story feels exaggerate and clumsy at times.
3) There are so many characters, since the author tries to talk about everything that took place back those years, that he does not go deeper into their minds and conflicts and keeps every development of the story in its simplest form. Also the "good" guys are just too good and the "bad" ones are the devil themselves, and in the very few occasions were a character has some kind of change that makes him reconsider some previous position about anything it just happens from one line to the next without any explanation or serious consideration.
4) Finally it has more pages than it should. It starts at least being an entertaining reading but since it fails to become something more and in fact becomes a little bit boring, you end with the feeling that Falcones could have done the job with a hundred pages less, at very least. It is not about if you can enjoy a long book or not, is just that this is not worth the six hundred and more pages.
I gave it two stars, I was close to give it one, because it is entertaining at times and you don't end the book with a terrible sense that you wasted your time in every way but certainly that you could have use it to read something else.
Customer Reviews:
A quick introduction to a fascinating city.......2007-06-06
I brought this book along with me on my honeymoon to Paris and Barcelona and started reading it on our overnight train to Barcelona. I finished it in about four hours of reading, closing it just before getting in a cab to our Barcelona hotel.
Barcelona: The Great Enchantress is a page turner, especially if you are planning a trip there. In fact, if you are planning a trip there, this book is mandatory reading. It will pump you up for your visit like no tour guide can do. It doesn't contain a lot of in-depth advice for tourists or a careful history of Barcelona's rich architectural history (Hughes has another book for that, although I have not read it). What it does is whet your appetite.
Read this book and get excited about one of the most amazing cities in Europe! This is travel writing at its best and most engaging.
The heart of Catalonia........2007-05-22
A brief sample history of Barcelona and its effect on art, architecture, and the people. Hughes fell in love with this city and became a frequent visitor to the second largest city in Spain. Barcelona is indeed a famous city and one of the holdouts to the Franco regime in the Spanish CIvil War. Perhaps Hughes through his wording tried to convey his love of the city in his writings. However this book came across as a sketchy summary history of this great city.
This is an OK read on this great city. If you want more history, check out Hughes earlier book on this city.
An Abridged Version of "Barcelona".......2006-06-26
Which is not a bad thing, since the original 574-page version, written in 1992 just after the Barcelona Olympics, is too verbose. This version appears to have benefited from aggressive editing, deleting much of the generally irrelevant material on Barcelona's history and Catalan literature and art, which may generously be described as undistinguished.
Hughes' real strength lies in architectural criticism, and here he shines. Readers who share that interest may well want to buy the 1992 version which discusses that topic in depth.
Neither book, unfortunately, has a sufficient number of pictures.
There is an excellent VHS tape of Barcelona [ASIN: 6303209777] that combines both ground and aerial footage. Well worth purchasing.
A Barcelona Connoisseur.......2004-09-09
I read this delightful book on a plane to Barcelona. It whet my appetite for the cultural repast to come. Hughes gives a foretaste of the rich melange of language, history, art, and architecture that makes Barcelona and Catalonia so compelling. Though Hughes clearly loves this city, the writing is fresh and he mixes in sharp opinions so the book never cloys. Delectable.
A Quick Must Read.......2004-09-05
Hughes makes the buildings, history and pride of the Catalan people come alive. His use of Architecture tells a quick story of a strong and independant people, with Barcelona at it's center. His love of the city and people is evident in his story of his most recent wedding in Barcelona. The great thing about the book is that you want more, I'm happy he has a larger volume that covers the city and its eccletic history.
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