Aquella Barcelona

Exciting, tragic and evocative pages of the great port city that is Barcelona. "The city of wonders" is a sentimental space through which the author, a Barcelonan by birth and vocation, allows us to travel through the decades, from the post-war period to the splendid celebration of the 1992 Olympic Games. We will know the harshness of the war, the squalor of the post-war period, the ban on the Catalan language, the restriction of cultural traditions and the period of uncertainties and challenges. However, Barcelona never lost its civic and supportive spirit. In April 1939, the emblematic Liceo reopened its doors with "La bohème", reclaiming the operatic tradition that has made it a benchmark for bel canto. In 1967, Barcelona became a melting pot of literary talent, attracting writers such as García Márquez, Vargas Llosa, José Donoso and Jorge Edwards. This moment marked the birth of the famous Latin American boom, which would revolutionize literature and redefine the publishing world in Spanish, as well as the appearance of the "gauche divine" and its severe rejection of political oppression, consolidating the city as the great reference , beacon of freedom and creativity. In November 1974, the inauguration of the air bridge between Madrid and Barcelona boosted business, commercial and service growth. However, it was with the 1992 Olympic Games that the city underwent a significant transformation. The unforgettable words of the president of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch, "a la Ville de Barcelona", marked the beginning of modernization and its approach towards the Mediterranean Sea, reflecting its culture and European vocation.