Description
César
Book Summary
A novelized biography that reconstructs the life of César Rodríguez, one of FC Barcelona's greatest legends, from his beginnings as a promising young talent in post-war Barcelona to becoming a key piece in the blaugrana resurgence. Beyond the myth of the legendary forward line of the fifties, this work reveals the man who, with his goals, offered joy and escapism to a city marked by repression and scarcity. A tribute to the culé fans and a portrait of a difficult era.
What is it about?
In 1939, César Rodríguez, a nineteen-year-old footballing prospect, signs for FC Barcelona, driven by the desire to live near the sea. He finds a city devastated by war and repression that is in desperate need of reasons for joy, even if they are sporting ones. Over time, "el Perruques" becomes one of the best players in the club's history, although today he is remembered primarily for being part of the legendary fifties forward line immortalized by Joan Manuel Serrat: Basora, César, Kubala, Moreno, and Manchón.
However, the work reveals that he was much more. He was the main person responsible for the blaugrana resurgence in the forties and a culé so passionate that he used to say he would always return to Barça, even if it were as a janitor. It is a novelized biography that portrays a social era full of fears, silences, and uncertainties, and at the same time a tribute to the old Barcelona fans who found in the goals of that prodigious forward from León a way to escape the daily miseries of the post-war period.
Main Themes
- Novelized biography of César Rodríguez, FC Barcelona legend.
- Post-war Barcelona: repression, scarcity, and the need for escapism.
- Football as a driver of joy and hope in difficult times.
- The resurgence of FC Barcelona in the 1940s.
- The historical memory of barcelonismo and its great figures.
Who is it recommended for?
For football fans and, in particular, FC Barcelona supporters interested in the history of the club and its myths. Also for readers of biographies and historical accounts who want to know how sport can reflect and alleviate the tensions of a tumultuous era such as the Spanish post-war period.
What this book contributes
- An intimate and human portrait of a Barça legend, beyond his facet as a footballer.
- An immersion into post-war Barcelona through the eyes of an athlete.
- A unique perspective on the role of football as a refuge and source of hope for a wounded society.
- The recovery of the memory of a key figure in the history of barcelonismo.
Technical Sheet
- Author: Tomás Belenguer, Manuel
- Publisher: Edicions Saldonar
- Language: cat
- Subject: General biography, Sports biography, Football, Modern and contemporary fiction
- Collection: NARRATIVA BLAUGRANA
- Publication date: October 2016
- Number of pages: 304
- Weight: 515 g
Editorial Assessment
A book that successfully combines historical rigor with literary narrative, offering a complete vision of an iconic sports figure and the social context that surrounded him. It is of great interest both to the reader specialized in the history of Barça and to those looking for a story of overcoming and passion framed in one of the toughest periods of recent Spanish history.