Paris, London and Rome discovered through the eyes of Catalan writer Josep Pla

Brussels (ACN).-This exhibition 'European Cities of Josep Pla' was inaugurated this week in Brussels. The show explores the famous Catalan writer's view of many different European cities he discovered during his youth, when he worked as a foreign correspondent. Paris, London, Rome, Athens and Madrid are presented through the eyes and words of this prolific writer, the most read author in Catalan.

According to the exhibition’s curator, Anna Aguiló, the show allows the visitor to learn about the cities from the point of view of someone “who lived there” and “experienced” them deeply. Pla was always interested in quotidian affairs, and he used to chat widely with people in the streets, bars and markets. With this in mind, the exposition is divided into areas that represent different bars around Europe. The bars and restaurants symbolize Pla's curiosity for the life-styles of the people he met. In fact, the writer loved literary and political gatherings. The exposition explores the “environment” that Pla found in London or Rome, the “spaces” that he enjoyed the most and “the gatherings that he missed so much during the rest of his life”, said Aguiló. In fact, 'The European cities of Josep Pla' shows how the author’s extensively knowledge about the writers and thinkers from the countries he visited. Since 1920, Josep Pla was correspondent in Europe for two Catalan newspapers, 'La Publicitat' and 'La Veu de Catalunya', and for the Spanish paper 'El Sol'. “This is the time when Pla goes out there to discover the world, to then go back to Palafrugell (his local town, in the Costa Brava) and write from this small spot in the country”, Aguiló explained. The exhibition was inaugurated this week by the EU Secretary of the Catalan Government, Albert Moreno. The event included a conference by the director of the Josep Pla Foundation, who praised the writer as the “most read” in Catalan contemporary literature. The show in Brussels will be open until the 15th of February. It is an initiative of the Catalan Government in collaboration with the Josep Pla Foundation, the Institut Ramon Llull and the Instituto Cervantes. Josep Pla is one of the most famous Catalan writers. His prose is widely considered as the finest in Catalan contemporary literature.