Barcelone Noir

by Adriana V. Lopez (Editor), Carmen Ospina (Editor)

Includes brand-new stories by: Jordi Sierra i Fabra, Imma Monso, Santiago Roncagliolo, Francisco “Paco” Gonzalez Ledesma, Valerie Miles, David Barba, Isabel Franc, Lolita Bosch, Eric C. Aragon, Antonia Cortijos, Cristina Fallaras, Raul Argemi, Teresa Solana, and Andreu Martin.

For some, Barcelona is a European enchantress of nouveau architecture, fusion tapas, and fine cava. To others, it’s a Gothic labyrinth of tiny streets to lose oneself in; hashish-clouded after-hours bars to forget the time; dimly lit plazas with global bohemians squatting, prostitutes tempting. But come morning, its cold cobblestones and misty beachfronts have even darker stories to tell.

Adriana V. Lopez was the founding editor of Criticas magazine. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she divides her time between New York and Madrid.

Carmen Ospina directs the digital program at Random House Mondadori in Barcelona.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Noir, Mystery, Anthologies, Crime, Spain

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2011

Reviews

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

La colección de Akashic tiene un criterio y estructura definida: cada libro está centrado en una ciudad del mundo, y cada uno de los catorce cuentos, policiales, es escrito principalmente por autores locales, y ubicado en un determinado barrio de esa ciudad.

Barcelona Negra arranca con Ley de fugas, un buen cuento ambientado a principios del siglo XX y las luchas sindicales. Otro, más cercano a la autoficción o documental, recorre la vida y homicidio de Mercedes Cassola, originaria de San Gervasi, ocurrida en el exilio mexicano durante el franquismo, con exuberante contextualización de lo que iba ocurriendo en el mundo en cada momento, a través de muchas notas al pie.

Los que más me han gustado han sido Barrios Altos (la humillada filipina), La ofrenda (autopsia y belleza), Atrapando la luna (alto erotismo y la sombra de Nikolai Leskov), y El delgado encanto de la mujer china (entre el miedo y la pena).

Al igual que me ocurrió con Buenos Aires Noir, la referencia particular a cada barrio no llega a ser muy significativa. No sé cómo habrá sido en Bagdad Noir, porque no conozco la ciudad. Aunque no llega al nivel Bagdad noir, es un libro de gran calidad, con cuentos entre buenos o muy buenos, y de lectura muy agradable y atrapante.

Ya he solicitado Río Noir, y estoy esperando que se traduzcan al castellano algúna libro más del largo listado de la colección.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lolita Bosch’s story was amazing, the only thing remotely fun about the rest of it was knowing all the names of the streets. Yikes.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun atmospheric travel reading. The stories are quite varied in tone and quality but conveys the ambience of Barcelona well and the dark stories are a nice contrast to the throngs of well fed tourists on sunny streets.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read one of these city Noir volumes for quite a while, so it was a great fit with a first trip to Barcelona. I appreciated having a few small bits of the stories link up with neighborhoods we passed through or food and drinks (vermuth with a slice of orange and an olive). But every story collection has a blend of good to great stories. In this case, two stories included two surprisingly dark and violent scenes that came out of the ether...and really unsettled the rest of the reading experience. Oof...it'll take a few glasses of vermuth to calm my nerves again after those. I do not recommend this as a peaceful bedtime story collection!

[Marty Greenwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'm not cut out for short stories of things going awry in a city that I loved visiting in 2015. Or maybe it just wasn't that good. I did read a collection of articles about world adventure from Outside magazine a few years ago and did like it. It didn't capture Barcelona and bring me back like I thought it would. First time three stars in a long time.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took several stories for me to finally be hooked. I could'nt tell if these were morale stories or simply entertaining ones with a cliffhanger, the equivalent to the silence at the end of a dramatic play which can only be interpreted as so moving/shocking that it makes you speechless. Overall it was an interesting read.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and enjoyable enough collection of short stories. Written by different authors but the writing style was very similar ( to the point that at one stage I checked that the authors were different). I didn't end up reading all the stories as I had several others books borrowed from the library. I probably would have read all the stories if I didn't have other books readily available.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/3.75 Anthology collections for me are never perfect. But I love Barcelona & Noir when it is done well. I want to read more of this series.

My favorite stories were:

Sweet Croquette

The Offering

Bringing Down the Moon

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um...wow. I've been listening a lot of true crime podcasts, and read a lot of the Noir series, but this one took the cake. A couple of the stories were so gross I had to quit. The one with the doctor and the autopsy sent me over the edge.

[Dorota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some short stories were quite captivating, but some left me scratching my head as they had more horror genre in them than noir....

[Nina Chachu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed from Libreriagh. I do like the Akashic Noir series

[Tony Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very mixed bag. The good stories are very good making this worth reading

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably some of the best vibe fiction I've ever read.
Best experienced on a sidewalk cafe.

[Karena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this anthology were crazy, but the history and the landmarks of Barcelona were interesting.

[Mir]

Like my previous read from this series, Tel Aviv Noir, I am leaving this unrated, and for much the same reasons: I didn't read all the stories, I'm not well-versed in the genre, I don't know the city.

I selected the two volumes for different reasons, however. Tel Aviv I got for a couple of specific authors, Etgar Keret and Lavie Tidhar. I've been to Tel Aviv, albeit briefly and long ago, and have not much expectation that I'll visit it again. Barcelona I've never been to but hope to see sooner rather than later. Without maps* or pictures or any notions of the neighborhoods, I don't feel this book helps much to familiarize one with the city. However, it did give me some cultural sense of Barcelonans being emotional, fatalistic, and possessed of a rather dark sense of humor. (A funnier story reminded me of a friend there telling me that his local bar billed itself as "El mejor bar para que tu novia escuche tus excusas"["The best bar for telling your girlfriend your excuses'])



*There is in fact a little map that places the locations of the stories within an outline of the city, but it doesn't indicate anything else.

[Kasia]

Nie wiem jak tutaj wypośrodkować ocenę, ponieważ jak to bywa przy zbiorach opowiadań ,,Barcelona Noir" jest dość nierówna. Cała książka jest podzielona na 3 części. Początek był bardzo obiecujący i myślę, że pierwsza część to mocne 4/5, była najbardziej mroczna i klimatyczna ze wszystkich trzech. Druga część jest moją ulubioną, była dużo bardziej groteskowa, ale absolutnie każde opowiadanie mi się podobało. Niestety całość popsuła końcówka i bardzo słaba trzecia część, której jak dla mnie mogło by nie być. Mimo to, za bardzo dobre dwie części daję całości 4/5* i myślę, że sięgnę po inne książki z tej serii, a zwłaszcza po Pragę.

[Tuxlie]

"One-of-a-kind Barcelona is as enchanting in real life as in literature, and the latest in the Akashic city noir series, Barcelona Noir, is a terrific entry point to sample its charms or to relive the adventure of traveling there […] this collection of 14 stories that tap into history, politics and culture to cast a cloak of horror and humor on the city’s distinctive neighborhoods."
--Miami Herald

"The 14 stories in Akashic’s Barcelona volume hew closely to the bleak spirit of the noir genre, whether reaching back to the 1920s [...] or chronicling chaotic immigrant-infused present-day Barcelona."
--Publishers Weekly

"Each [contributor] presents his or her own personal picture of the city, and as a whole, the anthology projects a many-hued sense of place. As portrayed here, Barcelona is a city that looks different from every angle."
--Booklist

"With 50 titles in its noir series and counting, Akashic adds another fine anthology to the lineup, this time evoking the cultural, social, and physical precincts of Barcelona from the early 20th century to the present. Fans of Spanish literature and crime fiction will enjoy."
--Library Journal

Includes brand-new stories by: Jordi Sierra i Fabra, Imma Monso, Santiago Roncagliolo, Francisco “Paco” Gonzalez Ledesma, Valerie Miles, David Barba, Isabel Franc, Lolita Bosch, Eric C. Aragon, Antonia Cortijos, Cristina Fallaras, Raul Argemi, Teresa Solana, and Andreu Martin.

For some, Barcelona is a European enchantress of nouveau architecture, fusion tapas, and fine cava. To others, it’s a Gothic labyrinth of tiny streets to lose oneself in; hashish-clouded after-hours bars to forget the time; dimly lit plazas with global bohemians squatting, prostitutes tempting. But come morning, its cold cobblestones and misty beachfronts have even darker stories to tell.

**

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

perhaps more horror than noir, these mostly very good mystery, crime, and horror stories seem to look at both the sameness of barcelona (a magnet for the poor and huddled working people) and how immigrants have changed the neighborhoods, for the worse all in all. TWO, count em 2, cannibal stories. i will never look at a coquette the same again though.

[tiddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting plots in some of the stories, but the writing is is oddly paced and unevenly focused in most. While I find the historic reference of Spanish history and Francois Franco in relation to Barcelona interesting, it's not sufficient to sustain my interest in the book. The book is weak, in general.

[Lexy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library because it was set in Barcelona and I've been obsessed with the place ever since I travelled there last year. While I enjoyed being transported to familiar settings, the stories themselves were dark and at times horrifying. I'm sure some people would like this book, but its definitely not for me.

[Punk]

Free e-book advent calendar from Akashic Books: Download Barcelona Noir for FREE until midnight, December 09, 2016!

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[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good start but then increasingly disappointing.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of these really bumped up the overall score.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on our flight to Barcelona last year and enjoyed having a few landmarks while visiting Barcelona for the first time. Probably wouldn't have read it otherwise.

[Mills College Library]

Fiction B242 2011

[Leni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Turned out to be more readable than I thought it would be.

[Plantgrrl · Rating 3 out of 5]