Barcelona through the eyes of two generations

Daniel Vázquez Sallés and Miqui Otero

Moderator: Carlos Zanón

Two writers, two generations, two lives, two Barcelonas. Daniel Vázquez Sallés, born in the mid-1960s, lived through Franco’s Barcelona, a city that he would later see regain its freedom and open up to Europe, the world and life. In his latest book, Los felices ochenta, he portrays scenes from the 1980s, intimate memories that also reflect the reality of the baby-boom generation that embraced democracy but were left with a deep sense of disenchantment. Miqui Otero was born at the start of those happy 1980s, the son of Galician migrants who settled in the (then) working-class neighbourhood of Sant Antoni. Otero witnessed the rise of drugs, the Olympic boom and the housing crisis, episodes that undoubtedly shaped his perception of the city, which plays such a central role in his work. In this discussion, they will share perspectives on Barcelona, as well as their own generations, hopes and disappointments, and the ways they capture these experiences in their books.