More than a classic, The Barcelona Trilogy has become one of the most beloved works among Spanish readers. It tells the story of a Catalan bourgeois family in the 1970s, intertwining the lives of three generations of women. It explores the complexity of family ties and sentimental education. An essential read for fans of Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend”, with the same emotional intensity and an intimate focus on human relationships during times of change.
This trilogy focuses on the different women within the Miralpeix and Claret families in Barcelona’s Eixample neighborhood, with each novel spotlighting a different protagonist while maintaining thematic ties through their struggles.
The first novel, Ramona, adéu (Ramona, Goodbye), centers on three generations of women named Ramona (grandmother, mother, and daughter), who grapple with the lack of sentimental education and the ideals of romantic love. The grandmother lives in a world of memories and idealized dreams, while her daughter, Mundeta Ventura, repeats a path of narcissism influenced by her mother’s indifference and marked by unfortunate romantic relationships. Finally, the granddaughter, Mundeta Claret, finds liberation by confronting the reality of her gender, breaking free from patriarchal ideals, and deciding to leave home.
In El temps de les cireres (The Time of Cherries), Natàlia Miralpeix, who returned to Barcelona in 1974 after living in France and England, tries to rebuild her life and career as a photographer. Throughout the novel, she reconnects with family and friends, including her friend Harmonia, who introduces her to the Catalan art world, and her aunt Patricia (a character from Ramona, Goodbye, and friend of Mundeta Ventura), a widowed woman living in memories and alcohol. She also faces her family’s dysfunction: her brother Lluis abuses his wife Clara, and her father Joan is confined to a psychiatric institution, trapped in memories of his deceased wife. Realizing that the reality she left behind is completely different from the present, Natàlia seeks independence and focuses on her career, taking advantage of the new opportunities offered by post-Franco Spain.
Finally, in L’hora violeta (The Violet Hour), the novel delves into female desire through three main characters: Natàlia (the protagonist of The Time of Cherries), Norma, and Agnès. These three women are associated with female figures from Homer’s Odyssey: Agnès with Penelope, Natàlia with Calypso, and Norma with Circe. Agnès and Natàlia are in love with the same man, Jordi, who dedicates his life to politics (Agnès is his wife and, like Penelope, awaits her husband’s return, while Natàlia is Jordi’s lover, as Calypso was to Odysseus). Meanwhile, Norma, who has relationships with several men (like the sorceress Circe), reflects on female desire. At Natàlia’s request, Norma writes about the relationship between her mother, Judit, and a woman named Kati, whose connection had an undertone of unrequited love.
RELEVANT FACTS: The Barcelona Trilogy, also known as The Eixample Trilogy, is a family saga set against a backdrop of historical change in Spain, exploring issues that remain contemporary. The focus is on female characters and their internal and external conflicts, as they struggle in their relationships with men.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in Montserrat Roig and her work. In fact, The Barcelona Trilogy was successfully published in the United Kingdom and had a major release in the United States. Its reception by the press has been excellent, with international critics positioning Montserrat Roig as a cornerstone of European literature. Colm Tóibín described her as “a bright light of Catalan literature.” She is part of a generation of writers who emerged in the 1970s, marking a milestone in Catalan literature after decades of dictatorship.
This intellectual property is ideal for developing a historical series that brings to the screen themes that remain perfectly contemporary, all set in one of Barcelona’s most fascinating neighborhoods.
What the critics say:
“Ramona, adéu is the story of a liberation.” — Betsabé Garcia.
“Roig wields language as a weapon against political and social ‘forgetfulness,’ giving voice to those who usually remain silent, especially women and the elderly.” — Times Literary Supplement.
“Montserrat Roig embodied the idea of high-quality literature that remains widely accessible, rigorous, committed to tradition, and engaged with the debates of her time.” — Julià Guillamon, La Vanguardia.
“Montserrat Roig stands today as a splendid storyteller, capable of reworking and preserving, in her own wild way, a specific era and a specific Barcelona where she was born, lived, and chose to die.” — Josep Maria Benet i Jornet.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV series, Miniseries, Film, TV Film.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish, Catalan, English, German, Basque.
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