Private Life
by Josep Maria de Sagarra
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Nov 24 2015 | Archive Date Nov 16 2015
Description
The novel, practically a roman-à-clef for its contemporaries, was a scandal in 1932. The 1960's edition was bowdlerized by Franco's censors. Part Lampedusa, part Genet, this translation will bring an essential piece of 20th-century European literature to the English-speaking public.
Advance Praise
"[F]unny and ridiculous, de Sagarra paints a meticulous portrait of the dawn of modernity in Catalonia." — Publishers Weekly
"[Vida Privada] is a portrait of the "great world" of Barcelona and its loyalties in the years that preceded the Republic and in the early days of the new regime. Rigorous contemporaneity, stylistic effectiveness, the structural tour de force...and its daring treatment of manners and mores, make this book a unique product in Sagarra's work as a whole." -- Marina Gusta, University of Barcelona
"Private Life, by Josep Maria de Sagarra is a delightful, intelligent and exciting novel, the best ever written about Barcelona. One of the high points of 20th century Catalan and European literature, it is an unflinching portrait of the social mores of the high and low classes, the desire to be someone, and the destruction of a way of life. The changes that came about in the 20s and 30s have led inexorably to the Barcelona of today. Now that the city is in vogue, it is providential that the millions of people who visit every year will be able to read Private Life." -- Quim Monzó, best-selling author of Gasoline and A Thousand Morons
"In Private Life, Josep Maria de Sagarra orchestrates the destiny of a rich, decadent family, sucked into an underworld of sexual and economic scandals. Though the events could be happening today, they take place in the late 1920s, when the night life of Barcelona was as intense and provocative as that of early 20th century Berlin or Paris." -- Jordi Puntí, NYPL Cullman fellow and author of Lost Luggage
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780914671268 |
| PRICE | $20.00 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
AliceMaud M, Reviewer
This novel reminds me a bit of "The Leopard" by Lampedusa, but the author is much less forgiving of his characters than is Lampedusa of his. Perhaps this is due to the fact that much of Lampedusa's work reflected experiences of his own family whereas Sagarra was inspired by less subjective observations of people and events to whom he had little or no personal connection. As such, it gives the reader a graphic and severely critical picture of what the author perceived as Barcelona's decaying society. It is not a kind book! But then, that society was not kind. The book reads easily, which is a great tribute to the translator. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to discover "Private Life" on Netgalley as I doubt I would have come across it otherwise.
Mandy J, Reviewer
As the publisher Archipelago tells us, “Sagarra set out to write the great Catalan novel and the result: a scathing critique of the decadent and disappearing aristocratic class of Catalonia.” Josep Maria de Sagarra (1894-1961) is considered the best known Catalan writer, and we must be grateful to Archipelago for this excellent new translation bringing the novel to an English-speaking audience for the first time. It’s a rambling and sprawling epic, a soap opera of life in Barcelona, with a multiplicity of characters and plots and with vivid and detailed descriptions and portraits of the city and its inhabitants. Set against a fairly turbulent political background, Barcelona really comes alive as we are immersed in the trials and tribulations of the characters. No one comes out looking very good. Everyone is decadent, society is decaying, and all are consumed with self-interest. It's not a pretty picture but it’s certainly a compelling one. I’m not surprised it created a scandal when it was first published in 1932 and it’s most definitely still worth reading.
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