READ! Barcelona

FICTION

It is telling that almost all fiction based in Barcelona is of the noir/thriller/mystery genre.  The city is a layer cake of two thousand years of history, the stones of the old being ever folded into and under the new. Cultural overlays and vestiges of the past intermingle throughout the city’s winding gothic and elegant modernist neighborhoods. Add in the the fraught political history of the 20^th century, and it’s great setting for intrigue, magical realism and ghosts. These works of historical fiction bring the city to life in a way a guide book never could. 

• Origin, by Dan Brown – Fast paced adventure set in Spain/BCN.  Lots of fun page-turner!
• Cathedral of the Sea, by Ildefonso Falcones – Epic historical novel set in 14th centuy Barcelona.
• The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – First book in the haunting and magical Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy.
• The Secret of Vesalius, by Jordi Llobregat – Intense mystery/thriller set in Barcelona on the eve of the 1888 World’s Fair. This is a fun read for a bunch of reasons, one of which is the account of the construction of Ciutadella Park and iconic structures such as the Arc de Triomf, Castell dels tres Drachs, and the Columbus Monument.
• The Whispering City,  by Sara Moline – Set in 1952 when under Franco’s fascist government a wealthy socialite is found dead in her mansion and a young journalist is assigned to shadow the main inspector on the case.
• The City of Wonders, by Eduardo Mendoza – Follows the unscrupulous rise of fortune seeking Onofre Bouvila during the years between Barcelona’s Universal Expositions 1888- 1929.
• The Summer of Dead Toys, by Antonio Hill – The first in the Detective Salgado series of dark police thrillers set in Barcelona.
• Even the Darkest Night: A Terra Alta Novel, by Javier Cercas – Premio Planeta award-winning mystery set in rural Catalonia.
• Our Last Days in Barcelona, by Chanel Cleeton – time-spanning historical fiction about Cuban exiles reunited in Barcelona
• Catfish Alley, by TM Stretton – Fast-paced action filled crime caper.
• The Lions of Catalunya, by Jeremy Rowe – book one of a trilogy following twelve generations of a family through all the twists and turns of Barcelona’s history.
• Barcelona Dreaming: A Novel, by Rupert Thomson – Three connected stories about Barcelona before the financial crash of 2008

NON FICTION

The nonfiction category is largely 20^th century, in which intellectual forces such as George Orwell, Robert Hughes and Colm Tobin chronicle their observations of the city’s unique history, social and political culture.  And of course I had to include a book about FC Barcelona as the team is such an integral part of the region’s identity.  Força Barça!

• Homage to Barcelona, by Colm Toibin – Stories of Barcelona from the city’s founding and expansion in the 19th century to the lives of its most famous artists.  
• Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell – A first-hand eyewitness account of the brutal conditions of the Spanish Civil War.
• Barcelona, by Robert Hughes – Famed Time magazine journalist’s celebrated chronicle of Barcelona’s rich history.
• The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making-and Unmaking-of the World’s Greatest Soccer Club, by Simon Kuper – Story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful soccer club in the world.
• No Regrets: A Life in Catalonia, by Dvora Treisman – A San Francisco native who relocated to Barcelona in 1999 with her cat Pumpkin shares adventurous accounts of her new life in Catalonia.