Walks (and something more) with George Orwell

If you haven’t read Homage to Catalonia, you’ve surely at least heard of it. The book recounts, in first person, George Orwell’s time in Spain as a fighter against fascist troops. Every year, those events are commemorated and the author of 1984 is celebrated with Orwell Day. This year in Barcelona, the celebration extends over two months and includes various events, among them walking tours inviting you to experience libertarian Barcelona.

In the pages Orwell wrote about Barcelona during the Civil War, he portrays a society in which class structures had disappeared, anarchist revolutionaries self-managed the areas under their control, and communist parties and militants were subject to strict Soviet-style discipline. This Barcelona Orwell described can be revisited almost a century later through several guided routes in different languages, led by experts on the English writer’s work and biography.

The tours begin at the Drassanes metro station on La Rambla de Santa Mònica and end at the CCCB. They are free, but reservations are required. Thursday 22 May (16:00-18:00) Paula León will guide the first route, in Catalan. Wednesday 28 May (11:00-13:00) Fernando Casal will offer the second one, in Spanish. Thursday 5June (11:00 to 13:00) Nick Lloyd will do the 3rd one in English and at the end there will be a reading of Homenatge a Catalunya in Catalan, Spanish, French, English, Italian and Greek (Cafè Moka in La Rambla). You have one further date on 11 June (11:00-13:00) with Carlota Canal and the last one on Monday 16 June (16:00 to 18:00) with Ricard Martínez in Catalan.

In addition to the tours, there will be a discussion titled Orwell pren cafè al Moka on Sunday, May 25 at 12:00, also at Café Moka. This informal talk about Orwell’s time at Eton College will be led by Josep Lluís González, a former teacher at the school. No  registration required.

Also (registration is required for this one), on Monday, June 2 at 6 pm, at the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona, translator Maribel Cruzado Soria will give a talk about Langston Hughes, an American poet and journalist who, like Orwell, was in Barcelona as a correspondent during the Civil War. Hughes was also a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a vibrant cultural movement led by Black communities in New York. The speaker will analyze the parallel paths of the two authors. Afterwards, there will be a concert featuring music from the Harlem Renaissance era, performed by the Gili-Romaní-Mazzanti Trio.

If you don’t want to miss Orwell Day, check the CCCB website for full program details and register where needed.