The much-anticipated entry of Spain into the Akashic Noir Series arena.
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"The 14 stories in AkashicÕs Barcelona volume hew closely to the bleak spirit of the noir genre, whether reaching back to the 1920s [...] or chronicling chaotic immigrant-infused present-day Barcelona."
--Publishers Weekly
"Each [contributor] presents his or her own personal picture of the city, and as a whole, the anthology projects a many-hued sense of place. As portrayed here, Barcelona is a city that looks different from every angle."
--Booklist
"With 50 titles in its noir series and counting, Akashic adds another fine anthology to the lineup, this time evoking the cultural, social, and physical precincts of Barcelona from the early 20th century to the present. Fans of Spanish literature and crime fiction will enjoy."
--Library Journal
Featuring brand-new stories by: Jordi Sierra i Fabra, Imma Monso, Santiago Roncagliolo, Francisco "Paco" Gonzalez Ledesma, Valerie Miles, David Barba, Isabel Franc, Lolita Bosch, Eric C. Aragon, Antonia Cortijos, Cristina Fallaras, Raul Argemi, Teresa Solana, and Andreu Martin.
Launched with the summer '04 award-winning best seller Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies. Each book is comprised of all-new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.
For some, Barcelona is a European enchantress of nouveau architecture, fusion tapas, and fine cava. To others, it's a Gothic labyrinth of tiny streets to lose oneself in; hashish-clouded after-hours bars to forget the time; dimly lit plazas with global bohemians squatting, prostitutes tempting. But come morning, its cold cobblestones and misty beachfronts have even darker stories to tell.
From the introduction to Barcelona Noir:
"Don't be fooled: Barcelona, with all its illustrious color and exterior fineness, hasn't always been able to curb the darker yearnings of its Hyde to its Jekyll. Blame it on a bubbling, repressive concoction made with a pinch of Church, a touch of Crown, and a large dose of General Francisco Franco to stir up the insides of its very independent and anarchic Catalonian spirit. One that has allowed it to conserve its own language and modus operandi from the rest of Spain, and that has always attracted the vanguard to create under the sereneness of its palm trees and Mediterranean light . . .
While some of the stories in Barcelona Noir still capture a certain air of this former era, a strange if more sadistic mood lurks through this small postindustrial city of today. Smeared with the pleasure-seeking sheen of its rampant tourist industry, combined with a constant stream of immigration from Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and with the ever-growing tensions of Catalonian nationalism, the city has spawned a fresh new batch of resentments and culture clashes.
Repression, vice, immigration . . . the fourteen stories within will divert your eyes from Barcelona's lively Ramblas and Gaudi spires, opening them onto the city's tainted side. One that will never appear in any recommended walking tour."
Adriana V. Lopez was the founding editor of Criticas magazine. Her journalism has appeared in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and she divides her time between New York and Madrid.
Carmen Ospina directs the digital program at Random House Mondadori in Barcelona.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
PART I: FOLLOW ME IF YOU CAN
"The Law of Escape" ANDREU MARTIN (Villa Olimpica)
"Brawner's Shadows" ANTONIA CORTIJOS (El Born)
"The Predator" SANTIAGO RONCAGLIOLO (Barri Gotic)
"The Enigma of Her Voice" ISABEL FRANC (Poble Nou)
"In This World, and at the Time Mercedes Died" LOLITA BOSCH (Sant Gervasi)
PART II: SHELTERED LIVES, SECRET CRIMES
"Sweet Croquette" DAVID BARBA (La Mina)
"The Offering" TERESA SOLANA (Sant Antoni)
"A High-End Neighborhood" JORDI SIERRA I FABRA (Turo Parc)
"The Customer is Always Right" IMMA MONSO (Eixample)
PART III: DAYS OF WINE (WHITE LINES) AND ROSES
"Minor Details" ERIC TAYLOR-ARAGON (Barceloneta)
"The Story of a Scar" CRISTINA FALLARAS (Nou Barris)
"Bringing Down the Moon" VALERIE MILES (Gracia)
"The Slender Charm of Chinese Women" RAUL ARGEMI (Montjuic)
"The Police Officer Who Loved Books" FRANCISCO GONZALEZ LEDESMA (El Raval)
Barcelona Noir
