It is not surprising that politics is one of the great current affairs published editorially, as is the case with Fake news (Debate), where Daniel Gascón, in texts accompanied by humorous illustrations, chronicles the last five political years in the state Spanish.
We have also read Lola García, who after publishing her well-known chronicle of the process in Catalonia, El naufragio, turns the focus on El muro (Peninsula) to Madrid to recount the decisions that were made there in crucial years. Another must-see book, The Catalan Bourgeoisie (Peninsula), by Manel Pérez, revolves around the economic and social powers of Catalonia and the decline of its political influence in the last decade.
But not everything is chronic when it comes to politics, there are also proposals and diagnoses. In El temps esquerp (Arcàdia) Raimon Obiols writes about political disappointment and claims the need for clean and constructive management. Although we will hardly be able to face this change without knowing its roots. To rescue the past from a conflict that seems endless – the Catalan and the Spanish –, in Tot s'ha perdut (La Magrana) we read some of the articles by Gaziel, who was director of La Vanguardia, in the first third of the 20th century , edited by Jordi Amat with a prologue by Enric Juliana.
Also to understand the place we come from – especially that of women and their struggles – we recommend reading Film
If we talk about transgressive movements, we cannot forget the essay by Juan Soto Ivars Nobody is going to laugh (Debate), in which he narrates the adventures of Anónimo García, the daring man who dedicates himself to parodying the sensationalism that soaks up so many media cases Parody also It's in Joaquín Luna's DNA. In Cuando te deján (Temas de Hoy) the dandy of the Barcelona night captures costumbrista stories, which color his articles in La Vanguardia. Nightlife also appears in Contemporary Narcissists (Fórcola), in which Luis de León Barga writes about the sociological phenomenon that has marked the last hundred years, from playboys to selfies.
We live in skeptical times and truths that previously seemed indisputable are mercilessly dismantled. Some blame the cinema, others journalism. Kennedyana, the posthumous work of the Catalan writer Vicenç Pagès, deals with the most outstanding political dynasty in the United States and all that it meant for several generations and for the author himself (Folch
For many readers, an attraction of the press is found in its hobby sections. The person in charge of the Catalan crossword puzzle for this newspaper, and well-known writer Màrius Serra, reveals some of his secrets in Per què soc enigmista / Why I am an enigmist (Clar Books).
In the current diagnosis, John Carlin, one of the most widely read writers, could not be missing. In The future is what it was (Folch
The Mexican chronicle is similar to that of the rest of Latin America, which appears in Rabia (Anagrama) represented from its most cynical and violent place by a diverse group of authors, who take us into the bowels of a south full of cracks, of the abortion law in Argentina to racism in Colombia. If we take the plane back to Europe we find Adriatic (RBA), where Robert D. Kaplan makes a geopolitical analysis of the territories that surround this sea, marked by the refugee crisis, electrical battles and the new populisms. And continuing with the travel chronicle we have Jordi Esteva and his autobiographical Impulso nomad (Galaxia Gutenberg), in which he makes us participants in his trips to Sudan and India and his subsequent settlement in Egypt.
We cannot close this section without mentioning some of the books that have best brought us closer to the Ukrainian reality. For those who want to know more about the president who challenged Putin, in Zelenski. The Making of a Hero (Deusto), Andrew L. Urban and Chris McLeod write about the leader, from his childhood to becoming the country's first Jewish president. A Message from Ukraine (Debate) includes Zelensky's speeches and explores the country since 2019. It is difficult to understand the conflict between Russia and Ukraine without knowing its origins. That is why books like Ukraine are useful. The first battle of World War III (Deusto), where Yuri Felshtinsky and Michael Stanchev go back to the beginning. The Gates of Europe (Peninsula) by Serhii Plokhy provides an insight into the disputes between Russia and the West over Ukraine.
On a more experiential level, Andrei Kurkov writes in the first person Diary of an invasion (Debate). A stained glass window in Lviv (AlianzaLit) by Żanna Słoniowska plunges us into war through a familiar fresco. In The Kiiv Record Keeper (Navona) Erin Littleken shows the diaries of an old woman, which shed light on one of the hardest periods of the Ukrainian past. Finally, Victoria Belim investigates the past in My Ukraine (Lumen) in search of truths silenced by the Russian government, to build meaning for the heartbreaking present.
