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Barcelona Noir (Spain)

Edited by: Adriana V. López and Carmen Ospina

Spanish and Catalan writers enter boldly and unapologetically into the Akashic Noir Series arena.

Available as an e-book for:

What people are saying…

“The 14 stories in Akashic’s Barcelona volume hew closely to the bleak spirit of the noir genre, whether reaching back to the 1920s [. . . ] or chronicling chaotic immigrant-infused present-day Barcelona.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Each [contributor] presents his or her own personal picture of the city, and as a whole, the anthology projects a many-hued sense of place. As portrayed here, Barcelona is a city that looks different from every angle.”
—Booklist

“With 50 titles in its noir series and counting, Akashic adds another fine anthology to the lineup, this time evoking the cultural, social, and physical precincts of Barcelona from the early 20th century to the present. Fans of Spanish literature and crime fiction will enjoy.”
—Library Journal

Description

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Brand-new stories by: Jordi Sierra i Fabra, Imma Monsó, Santiago Roncagliolo, Francisco González Ledesma, Valerie Miles, David Barba, Isabel Franc, Lolita Bosch, Eric Taylor-Aragón, Antonia Cortijos, Cristina Fallarás, Raúl Argemí, Teresa Solana, and Andreu Martín

From the introduction by Adriana V. López & Carmen Ospina:

“Its physical beauty alone, surrounded by mountains with a view of the sea, was cause enough for architect Antoni Gaudí to raise his version of Candy Land upon its soil; a daily impetus for the city’s mimes and living statues to claim a spot along Las Ramblas and transform it into their stage. But don’t be fooled: Barcelona, with all its illustrious color and exterior fineness, hasn’t always been able to curb the darker yearnings of its Hyde to its Jekyll. Blame it on a bubbling, repressive concoction made with a pinch of Church, a touch of Crown, and a large dose of General Francisco Franco to stir up the insides of its very independent and anarchic Catalonian spirit. One that has allowed it to conserve its own language and modus operandi from the rest of Spain, and that has always attracted the vanguard to create under the sereneness of its palm trees and Mediterranean light . . .

Repression, vice, immigration . . . the fourteen stories within will divert your eyes from Barcelona’s lively Ramblas and Gaudi spires, opening them onto the city’s tainted side. One that will never appear in any recommended walking tour.”

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I: Follow Me If You Can
“The Law of Escape” by Andreu Martín (Villa Olímpica)
“Brawner’s Shadows” by Antonia Cortijos (El Born)
“The Predator” by Santiago Roncagliolo (Barri Gòtic)
“The Enigma of Her Voice” by Isabel Franc (Poble Nou)
“In This World, and at the Time Mercedes Died” by Lolita Bosch (Sant Gervasi)

Part II: Sheltered Lives, Secret Crimes
“Sweet Croquette” by David Barba (El Carmel)
“The Offering” by Teresa Solana (Sant Antoni)
“A High-End Neighborhood” by Jordi Sierra I Fabra (Turó Parc)
“The Customer is Always Right” by Imma Monsó (L’Eixample)

Part III: Days of Wine (White Lines) and Roses
“Epiphany” by Eric Taylor-Aragón (Barceloneta)
“The Story of a Scar” by Cristina Fallarás (Nou Barris)
“Bringing Down the Moon” by Valerie Miles (Gàcia)
“The Slender Charm of Chinese Women” by Raúl Argemí (Montjuic)
“The Police Inspector Who Loved Books” by Francisco González Ledesma (El Raval)

Book Details

Paperback: 300 pages
Published: 4/19/11
IBSN: 9781936070954
e-IBSN: 9781617750458

Genre: Fiction

Authors

ADRIANA V. LÓPEZ was the founding editor of Criticas magazine and the coeditor of Barcelona Noir. Her journalism has appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and she divides her time between New York and Madrid.

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CARMEN OSPINA directs the digital program at Random House Mondadori in Barcelona. She is the coeditor of Barcelona Noir.