A picturesque picture of the War of the Spanish Succession that tore Europe in the early 18th century and the resistance of Barcelona, a city that faced two empires and defended itself for a year against one of the most terrible sieges.
To understand why Catalan children play Habsburgs and Bourbons rather than cowboys and Indians is to grasp the essence of today's project to disconnect Catalonia.
“It was I who surrendered the city I was entrusted to protect, the city that challenged the might of the two allied empires. My city. And the traitor who betrayed them is me. " The city is Barcelona, the "traitor" - Martí Zuviría, a military engineer who, at the end of his long life, writes down memories which are also a chronicle of the events of the Spanish Succession War.
Buy Albert Sánchez Piñola's novel "Victus. The Fall of Barcelona 1714 ”at a discount on the publisher's website.
A colorful, adventurous story takes place in France, Castile and Catalonia, where the final act of the drama takes place in 1714 - the siege, heroic defense and the fall of Barcelona. Perfectly sketched, expressive portraits of authentic and fictional characters draw the reader's attention to people whose lives create a factual and very personal version of the story.
"Victus" is a book surprisingly relevant in today's conflict-torn world, and the turbulent episode in the history of Catalonia, which fought for independence, allows the author to pose questions for which there are no easy answers.
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Albert Sánchez Pińol, born in Barcelona in 1965, an anthropologist by education, made many trips, including to Africa, preparing his doctoral dissertation on Pygmies. He published a book on eight African dictators ( Pallassos and monstres ) and a collection of short stories ( Les edats d’or ). The novel Cool Touch brought him international fame - the first of the announced trilogy - so far translated into more foreign languages than any other contemporary Catalan novel.
Buy a book with a discount on Empik's website
