Description
RURAL PARADISES
Book Summary
This work traces the vital and creative bond between Prudenci Bertrana and his daughter Aurora Bertrana and the Berguedà region. Through a journey across towns such as la Pobla de Lillet, Berga, and Vilada, the reader discovers how these two prominent Catalan writers found a refuge of tranquility and literary and artistic inspiration in its landscapes. The book reconstructs their journey, from Prudenci’s summer stays—seduced by nature—to Aurora’s return from exile, where she found a second home in the region and a place to rest and write.
What is it about?
Rural Paradises is a biographical and geographical chronicle that explores the relationship between writers Prudenci Bertrana and Aurora Bertrana and the Berguedà. The narrative begins with Prudenci, who, fleeing from noise and crowds, was captivated by the beauty of the area’s forests and mountains, spending summers there with his family. The work details how this landscape became a constant source of inspiration, which he captured in both his writing and his painting. Subsequently, it focuses on the figure of Aurora Bertrana, known for her travel chronicles of oceanic paradises. After a life of travel and forced exile, Aurora returned to the Berguedà, first following her husband and later her parents. There, in her maturity, she rebuilt her life, resumed old friendships, and forged new emotional ties that made her one of the community. The book culminates by noting that it was in this corner of Catalonia that she found the peace she had always sought, and where her remains rest.
Main Themes
- Literary biography of Prudenci Bertrana and Aurora Bertrana.
- The relationship between the rural landscape of the Berguedà and artistic and literary creation.
- Exile and return as a vital experience and a reconnection with one’s roots.
- The search for tranquility and refuge in nature as an alternative to urban life.
- Historical memory and emotional bonds forged in a rural community.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in contemporary Catalan literature, especially the figures of the Bertranas. It will also be of great interest to those who enjoy biographies that intertwine an author’s life with the landscape that inspired them, as well as to lovers of the Berguedà region and its cultural and historical heritage.
What this book offers
- An intimate and detailed vision of the lives of two key figures in Catalan literature.
- A vivid portrait of the Berguedà as a literary space and a source of artistic inspiration.
- An understanding of the authors' creative process as linked to a specific geographical environment.
- A perspective on exile and return through the personal experience of Aurora Bertrana.
- A narrative that connects family history with the history of a territory.
Technical Sheet
- Author: MONTAñA, DANIEL; RAFART, JOSEP
- Publisher: Cossetània Edicions
- Language: cat
- Subject: BIOGRAPHY: LITERARY, LITERARY STUDIES: FICTION, NOVELISTS AND PROSE WRITERS, MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION
- Collection: EL TINTER
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: June 2017
- Number of pages: 192
- Weight: 475 g
Editorial Review
Rural Paradises is a work that successfully combines biographical research and travel writing, offering an original perspective on the life and work of the Bertranas. Its main value lies in how it places literary creation in a specific geographical and emotional context—that of the Berguedà—turning the landscape into another character. It is a recommended read for those looking to understand the connection between a writer and their territory, as well as for those interested in the cultural history of Catalonia through two of its most representative figures.