“El fill del xofer” by Jordi Amat

On 19 December 2016, Alfons Quintà (Figueres 1943-Barcelona 2016), a journalist, lawyer, Navy Officer and judge, murdered his wife and then committed suicide with a shotgun. Taking as his subject this dark, perverse figure, Jordi Amat, one of the most lucid and multidisciplinary observers of the time, uses narrative to reflect on power. Behind a dazzling journalistic career (including management of TV3 and debates on Intereconomía) lurks a dark trajectory full of blackmail, sexual persecution, abuse of authority and various scams, showing how the sewers of power work in Catalonia: a masterful story of testimonial journalism.

Jordi Amat (Barcelona, 1978) is a philologist and writer. His published work includes the biographies Els laberints de la llibertat. Vida de Ramon Trias Fargas (2009, Gaziel Prize for Biographies and Memoirs), Com una pàtria. Vida de Josep Benet (2017, Octavi Pellissa Prize) and Vèncer la por. Vida de Gabriel Ferrater; the essays Las voces del diálogo, El llarg procés and La primavera de Múnich. The pamphlet La confabulació dels irresponsables (2017) made him one of the leading political commentators of the day. His latest book, El fill del xofer (Edicions 62, 2020; Spanish edition published by Tusquets), a lucid X-ray of the last 50 years of Catalan political history, received major critical and public success. He has for many years been a contributor to La Vanguardia and currently writes for El País, coordinating the Catalan culture supplement Quadern.