Catalonia: A Cultural History

by Michael Eaude

Squeezed between more powerful France and Spain, Catalonia has endured a violent history. Its medieval empire that conquered Naples, Sicily and Athens was crushed by Spain. Its geography, with the Pyrenees falling sharply to the rugged Costa Brava, is tormented, too.

Michael Eaude traces this history and it monuments: roman Tarragona, celebrated by the poet Martial; Greek Empuries, lost for centuries beneath the sands; medieval Romanesque architecture in the Vall de Bo: i churches (a World Heritage Series) and Poblet and Santes Creus monasteries. He tells the stories of several of Catalonia's great figures: Abbot Olivia, who brought Moorish learning to Europe, the ruthless mercenary, Roger de Flor, and Verdaguer, handsome poet-priest.

Catalonia is famous today for its twentieth-century art. This book focuses on the revolutionary Art Nouveau buildings (including the Sagrada Familia) of Antoni Gaudi. It also explores the region's artistic legacy: the young Picasso painting Barcelona's vibrant slums; Salvador Dali, inspired by the twisted rocks of Cap de Creus to paint his landscapes of the human mind; and Joan Miro, discovering the colors of the red earth at Montroig.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book that provides many meaningful historical insights into Catalonia’s identity. This region of Spain has a unique language and culture and stands proud of its history and traditions. The author enthusiastically champions Catalan’s independence cause, by giving examples of indigenous art and distinct history.

The author begins the book by describing the region’s origin as a land of passage, taking the reader along on an artistic journey from Roman roots in Tarragona to Romanesque churches in the Pyrenees, from the Catalan renaissance to modernisme and Barcelona's yet to be completed cathedral.

Eaude presents interesting examples of Catalonia original cultural and artistic heritage, from architecture (Puig i Cadafalch and Gaudi) and poetry (Verdaguer) and literature (Moncada and Ruiz Zafón), to painting (Rusinol, Casas, Dali, Miro and the adopted Picasso) to traditional music (sardana, havaneres and catalan rumba) and songwriting (Raimon and Peret). It also includes a chapter on local wines, like cava, traditional food and modern cuisine and another on football (Barcellona FC of course).

Eaude examines Catalonia’s history and mixes its nationalism with political activism, from Isabella’s Castilian rule to the Spanish civil war (a chapter is dedicated to describing the conflicting parties, anarchist, communists and fascists and the works of two famous foreign eye-witness: Hemingway and Orwell), through Franco’s dictatorship to today's human waves of mass tourism and economic migration.

Alas the book includes only a few images, which is a pity. This book took me a while to read as I was constantly trawling the web for information on the historical facts, people and places mentioned by the author. The book, being written in 2011, is a bit dated, but still a fascinating read and well worth the research effort.
4.5 stars

Fav. Quote:

Barcelona fell to Philip V’s army on 11 September 1714. This latter defeat led to the formal dismantling of all Catalan rights in the judiciary, education and government. Martial law, with its executions and terror, was imposed. The Generalitat was disbanded, Catalan autonomy was removed, the university was closed, citadels were built to control Lleida and Barcelona, the Catalan language was forbidden. Catalonia had lost. ... In a nation without a state, the defeats underlining that statelessness chafe at the mind like blisters under a coarse vest chafe the skin.

[Deniss Ojastu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this book before my first travel to Barcelona and Sitges.

I can recommend it to anyone travelling to Catalonia and looking for a deeper historical context behind the great cultural monuments of Catalonia (architecture, paintings, literature, music) compared to a Lonely Planet type of a travel guide. It has definitely given me better understanding of Catalan psyche - reflected in the way Catalonia looks and feels today from a stranger perspective.

When reading, it really felt the author was a fan of Catalonia (which is good), at the same time being quite critical about many of its historical and contemporary developments.

In some places the book might have benefited from a wider historical context (it assumed the reader was rather well aware of general history of Spain), in some places it felt too detailed (like verbal description of some details of buildings). In some places it was too much influenced by author's political views. However, there is a clearly a lot of research behind the book, citations of several other authors - and last but not least - love for this unique region in Europe.

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores both the romanticism of Catalonia's past as well as the realism of its present, attempting to capture the question of what defines a Catalan. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the culture, from the modernista architecture made famous by Antoni Gaudí to Catalan nationalism to modern commercial tourism along the coast to the art of Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró to the cultlike status of FC Barcelona. The author presents a varied and extremely detailed knowledge of his subject, and this is in my opinion an essential read for anyone who wants to travel to Catalunya.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic exploration of Catalan culture and history. I'm obsessed with the Basque Country and have now read a few books on it, so I was thrilled when my mom gave me this book for more insight into my second favorite region of Spain. I particularly enjoyed that Eaude drew many parallels between Catalonia and the Basque Country to show how similar they are in resisting Madrid's government and how different they are in how they define themselves. A fascinating read! (A wonderful chapter on Catalan food, too!)

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook that relates some of the cultural and political history of Catalonia. It is full of the author's knowledge of places and events in the history of the region that one will not find in guidebooks. As such it is well worth reading for those who plan on traveling or living in Barcelona or anywhere in Catalonia. I would enjoy the author's take on the current political turmoil.

[Abbey Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this were interesting, but his writing made it difficult to like and sometimes difficult to follow. He took weird side notes, provided too much detail about some things and not enought about others, and jumped from topic to topic so I wasn't always sure what time period or place he was talking about. He did use the word "dank" a lot, which I liked. He also has a chapter which prominently features Spanish mushroom gathering techniques and the cava -making process, which was also cool. Also gave a nice intro to the Barcelona based artists whose work I Will be viewing. Read for a class to prepare for a trip to Barcelona.

[H. P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eaude explores Catalonia, the other great unSpanish region of Spain along with the Basque country, in this cultural history. He looks not just at traditional art and architecture but also food, music, and sport. He also ventures far afield from Catalonia’s great metropolis, Barcelona, to the hamlets of the coast and mountains and everything in between. Eaude keeps the focus on Catalonia’s cultural history, but quite a bit of other history seeps in, especially of the Franco dictatorship.

[José · Rating 3 out of 5]

For anyone interested in deepening his understanding of this most unique region of Spain, it's a good primer.

[Ayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

History, both political and cultural of Catalonia.