We begin the new season with around a dozen new titles, some of which feature figures who are key for understanding our history and culture: the politicians Enrique Tierno Galván and Francesc Pi i Margall, the writer Pere Calders and municipal architect Pere Falqués.
If after reading the headline of this article, you’re wondering why Madrid mayor Tierno Galván was also considered an influential figure in Catalonia, you simply have to read the subtitle of the book: Els papers de Tierno Galván. La rivalitat Madrid-Barcelona dels primers ajuntaments democràtics [The roles of Tierno Galván. The Madrid-Barcelona rivalry of the early democratic city councils], released in October. A rivalry that was also a partnership between the first democratic mayors of the two cities, who joined forces to deal with the insolvency of their respective municipal coffers.
The author of the book, Àlex Masllorens, has delved through the documents in Enrique Tierno Galván’s personal archive, donated by his son to the Arús Public Library in Barcelona and to the periodicals libraries of various media outlets.
Publications in November
The new yearly publication produced by Barcelona Llibres in collaboration with Biblioteques de Barcelona will be released in November. Pere Calders. Escriptor i dibuixant. De Barcelona a Mèxic[Pere Calders. Writer and Draughtsman. From Barcelona to Mexico], by Julià Guillamon. It shows a lesser-known side of Calders: advertising illustrator, puppeteer, book cover designer, and author of encyclopaedia engravings.
Co-published with publisher Àmbit, the book Pere Falqués. L’arquitecte municipal de la Barcelona modernista [Pere Falqués. The municipal architect of Modernista Barcelona], by Joan Molet is set to be released. Falqués was Barcelona’s municipal architect from 1889 to 1916, coinciding with the period immediately following the Universal Exposition of 1888.
L’hidra del federalisme. Francesc Pi i Margall [The Hydra of Federalism. Francesc Pi i Margall], with text written by Francesc Pi i Margall himself, and directed and coordinated by Xavi Milian and Roc Sola, respectively, this is a co-publication with Tigres de Paper. The book dissects three key points of Pimargalian thought: federalism, socialism and the colonial issue. Most of the text has been translated into Catalan for the first time.
New municipal exhibition catalogues
Also released this autumn are the catalogues for the exhibitions “100 IKEA objects we would have liked having at VINÇON” (Disseny HUB), “Why war?” (Born CCM) and “Emotions” (Museu Frederic Marès).
September sees the release of the third volume of ‘Les opcions de Barcelona’, dedicated to Cerdà, from the MUHBA. And October sees the publication of Hiperrevolucionaris i supergais [Hyperrevolutionaries and Supergays, which tells the story of the publication La pluma and of the Coordinator of Collectives for Gay Liberation (CCAG).
This autumn we’ll also be releasing the co-publication Barcelona, retrat d’una ciutat [Barcelona, portrait of a city], with La Fàbrica, and Biociutats. Quan les ciutats segueixen les lleis de la natura [Biocities. When cities follow the laws of nature], with Actar Publishers.
And finally, we would like to mention two reissues which we are very proud of: Dibuixem drawing Barcelona, featuring drawings produced with pencil, watercolours and ink by Barcelona’s leading sketchers; and Rebel·lió. La vaga dels lloguers del 1931 [Rebellion. The Rent Strike of 1931], on the crisis following the Universal Exposition of 1929, which left workers without work and without homes.