Contents 132

DossierThe day after it all

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allHope in the face of fear

It’s no coincidence that recent years have seen a surge in apocalyptic dystopias in literature and film. Nor is it surprising that catastrophism and polarisation have seeped into...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allEurope and the Virus of the Past

At the end of 2019, I finished my novel Time Shelter, which was supposed to be a near dystopia...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allDemocracy: A triple fracture

The far right does not hold a monopoly on attacks against democracy. In fact, this phenomenon arises in a...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allExhuming memory

As part of the Exhumar la memoria [Exhuming Memory] project, a team of archaeologists is attempting to locate...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allCultural apocalypse

There is a debate within the left that I find not only intellectually misleading but also politically...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allFemale chauvinism and the myth of the queen bee

A highly notable phenomenon today is the rise of right-wing women to power. From Marine Le Pen in France to...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allThe Enlightenment does not get nostalgia

For decades, we’ve been enveloped in a general sense of pessimism, partly as a result of postmodern...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allProductive bodies: The return of Taylorism

When we discuss health, we tend to talk about it as the opposite of sickness. Ultimately, what determines...

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
The day after it allWater access and the unfulfilled promise of democracy

Water is a cornerstone of democratic life; and yet universal water access remains quietly incomplete or is...

Other contents

Illustration ©Octavi Serra
Idle hours

Dad is a concern for us. We didn’t expect him to do this. He had been dropping hints now and then, in his usual subtle way, but we didn’t take him seriously. In our defence,...

© Fundació “la Caixa”
A sequence shot delving into the more personal side of Luis García-Berlanga

A photograph of Luis García-Berlanga at the now-closed Bodega Bohemia greets us as we enter the exhibition Interior Berlanga. Cinema, vida i humor...

The passion for publishing in Catalan

“If you ask people on the street what an editor does, they’re not quite sure; they often think you’re a printer or a bookseller. It’s not a widely known profession.” Maria...

Amnesia-Memory installation by Francesc Torres, honouring thirteen guerrilla fighters. © MACBA Collection. On loan from the Generalitat Government of Catalonia. National Photography Collection.
“Pulling back the curtain” on the official Francoist history

This is not a conventional catalogue. In addition to reviewing the works in the exhibition Un altre fi. La resta. Art i antifranquisme [Another End. The Remainder. Art and...

Audience seated outside Can Felipa attending the talk "Desglobalisation?"  © Imatges Barcelona / Xavi Torrent
From country estates and stately homes to community centres

Community centres, which celebrated their fortieth anniversary two years ago, represent the city’s most extensive network of public cultural spaces. They offer a...

© Ferran Forné
“I don’t want women to feel they have to change their bodies to get work; I refuse to accept that”

Clara Segura

We are at the Library of Catalonia, beneath the impressive 15th-century arches and surrounded by a striking series of theatre posters. Among these stones, Clara Segura has...

Audience at the opening event of the Grec Festival 2023. © Images Barcelona / Paula Jaume
Analogue critics, digital promoters. Has cultural criticism become obsolete?

The profound technological shift and changing patterns of cultural consumption have fundamentally shaken the role of journalists and cultural critics, reshaping their identity...

The City of Solidarity

Economic and social inequalities are rising both globally and locally. To address this, Barcelona has seen a number of initiatives aimed at achieving global justice, where individuals,...

David Walliams was in Barcelona to deliver an address on the eve of Saint George's Day at the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria. © Ajuntament de Barcelona
David Walliams. The man whom Roald Dahl saved

David Walliams’ parents granted him one wish: a small black-and-white television in his room. As a child, he happily spent hours devouring British wrestling. However,...

View of Sant Miquel Beach with the W Barcelona Hotel in the background. © Imatges Barcelona / Clara Soler Chopo
Coastlines are sinking

Imagine New York City without the Statue of Liberty, Copenhagen without The Little Mermaid, Guangzhou without the Canton Tower, St. Mark’s Square in Venice submerged, Easter...

© Miquel Muñoz
"You’ll find far more people who can talk knowledgeably about football than about polítics"

John Carlin

When we sit down at the table, I can’t help but think that the man in front of me has interviewed both Nelson Mandela and Lionel Messi. It’s impressive. “The Messi interview was...

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