Description
THE TORRAIRES DE MONTBLANC
Book Summary
This work offers a detailed and rigorous reconstruction of the history of the Torraires de Montblanc, one of the most prominent human tower groups (colles castelleres) in 19th-century Catalonia. The reader will discover how Montblanc became a venue for nine-story human towers and how a local group emerged that competed alongside the legendary groups from Valls. Through exhaustive research, the book not only reviews the events and the human towers achieved, but also restores the memory of its protagonists, offering a complete vision of an exciting cultural phenomenon.
What is it about?
The book focuses on the activity of the Torraires de Montblanc, a human tower group that existed for nearly fifty years during the 19th century. The author explains how local enthusiasts helped make Montblanc a "plaça de nou" (a venue where nine-story towers are achieved) in 1864, a significant milestone in the world of castells. Subsequently, the group was formed, eventually achieving basic eight-story towers and the six-level pillar (pilar de 6) during its peak. The work is not limited to a chronology of events: it also analyzes the town's specific human tower vocabulary, devotes a chapter to the Montblanc gralla players of the era, and, above all, recovers the complete list of names, surnames, and nicknames of the members who were part of the groups, offering a human and social portrait of the time.
Main themes
- History of the human tower movement in Montblanc during the 19th century.
- Evolution and technical achievements of the Torraires de Montblanc, including eight-story towers and the six-level pillar.
- Human tower lexicon and terminology specific to the town of Montblanc.
- The role of gralla players in the Montblanc human tower tradition.
- Biographical and social reconstruction of the group members based on documentary sources.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is recommended for scholars and enthusiasts of the human tower world who want to delve into the history of groups outside the core area of the Camp de Tarragona. It is also ideal for local historians, researchers of Catalan popular culture, and any reader interested in the social memory and traditions of the Conca de Barberà region.
What this book contributes
- Rigorous and unpublished historical research on a 19th-century human tower group.
- The recovery of the memory of the early Torraires de Montblanc, with documented names and nicknames.
- A linguistic study of the town’s own human tower vocabulary.
- Contextualization of human tower activity in Montblanc within the broader Catalan landscape of the era.
Technical specifications
- Author: Xavier Güell Cendra
- Publisher: Cossetània Edicions
- Language: Catalan
- Subject: Modern and contemporary fiction, Popular culture, Local history
- Collection: L’Aixecador
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: October 2019
- Number of pages: 256
- Weight: 560 g
Editorial assessment
This title is a valuable contribution to human tower historiography, especially for its commitment to documenting a group little known outside the local area. The detailed approach and the recovery of personal data of its members make it a reference work for researchers and enthusiasts. Although its interest may be more specific to readers from the area or the human tower world, the quality of the research and the passion for popular tradition make it recommended for anyone interested in 19th-century Catalan culture.