Vicenç Villatoro, Jordi Amat, and Mònica Terribas in Conversation

With the publication of his most recent book, La casa dels avis (Edicions Proa, 2021), Vicenç Villatoro completes a trilogy in which it is preceded by the titles L’home que se’n va (Edicions Proa, 2014) and El retorn dels Bassat (Edicions La Magrana, 2016). In these three books based on an inquiry into family stories, he reflects on themes like migration and identity in Catalonia in the twentieth century. Also telling the story of a specific individual, Jordi Amat has just published his most recent book El fill del xofer (Edicions 62 and Tusquets, 2020), giving an account of politics and power in Catalonia in recent decades. Both works, from different perspectives but also with points in common, confront the challenge of giving an account of collective life in contemporary Catalonia on the basis of personal and family stories.

In this session, the two authors, together with the journalist Mònica Terribas, talk about the experience of recounting our most recent history as embodied in specific people.