Rubble and Progress

Rafael Chirbes returns to the Valencia of his childhood, viewed through the eyes of a small boy who is just beginning to discover his city. Chirbes thus renders homage to a time preceding property speculation and its desolate landscapes, the leitmotif of his last two books Crematorio (Crematorium, Anagrama, 2007) and En la orilla(On the Shore, Anagrama, 2013). Now that we are surrounded by ruins, perhaps we have the opportunity to remember and defend the materials of which a city is made, or should be made.

This lecture is part of the “Open City” cycle which also features the following speakers: Evgeny Morozov, Josep Maria Benet i Jornet, Marta Segarra, Manuel Forcano, Bruce Bégout, Erri de Luca and Richard Sennett.