{
  "id": 3476918,
  "title": "Catherine Lacey on an Antifascist Classic of Catalan Literature",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/catherine-lacey-on-an-antifascist-classic-of-catalan-literature",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T09:10:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Literary Hub",
    "slug": "literary-hub",
    "url": "https://lithub.com/catherine-lacey-on-an-antifascist-classic-of-catalan-literature/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Montserrat Roig's 1972 novel, Goodbye, Ramona, is a classic of Catalan literature that both opens and closes in a vivid scene of the Spanish Civil War. However, readers are not required to have knowledge of the complex conflict to enjoy the story. The focus is on Ramona Ventura, a woman searching for her husband in a war-torn Barcelona. The author, who was a feminist and antifascist activist, published this novel during the Franco dictatorship in Spain. The book weaves together three narratives of women named Ramona across three generations, from the late nineteenth century through the Spanish Civil War and into the 1960s. Roig's interest lies in the lives and choices of these women, particularly how they navigate the turbulent political landscape of Spain. The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 when a group of far-right nationalists, including a large faction of the military, staged a coup against the election results. The war resulted in an estimated million deaths and hundreds of thousands of executions. In 1939, the war ended, leading to the rise of Franco's fascist dictatorship, which lasted until his death in 1975. The novel's opening scene throws readers directly into the violent center of the civil war, then leaps back in time to 1894, where the eldest Ramona's diary begins. This Ramona, Jover, leads a life of luxury and calm, completely oblivious to the future her unborn daughter will face. In contrast, the second Ramona, Claret, is a university student in the late 1960s, actively resisting the far-right government through academic resistance. The youngest Ramona, also named Claret, is still constructing her rebellion against the status quo but faces real danger in the process, such as state-sponsored kidnappings and executions. Roig's novel offers three possible orientations for women in response to their oppression. Ramona Jover finds strength in resignation to her circumstances, while Ramona Claret is in the process of constructing her rebellion against the status quo, facing real danger in the process. The novel was written and published during a time when the Spanish government was trying to suppress the Catalan language, which was banned in public life by Franco's dictatorship. Today, various far-right movements still exist, both in the speaker's home country and around the world, reminding readers of the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom.",
  "summary": "Montserrat Roig’s 1972 classic of Catalan literature, Goodbye, Ramona, both opens and closes in a vivid scene of the Spanish Civil War, but if you don’t remember the exact contours of that extremely complex conflict, don’t worry. Instead pay attention",
  "key_points": [
    "Montserrat Roig's 1972 novel \"Goodbye, Ramona\" set during Spanish Civil War",
    "Novel follows three generations of women named Ramona, 1894-1960s",
    "Written during Franco dictatorship, banned Catalan language"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}