31
Spain incorporated Catalonia and other regions. He made me change my way
of seeing the world of Latin America and view it more accurate. His analysis
of the attitudes of Spanish governments towards the Hispanic nations
throughout history was thought-provoking and insightful. He lamented the
short-sighted policy of the Spanish politicians of the day, who wallowed in
sentimentalism instead of extracting the maximum benefit—including economic—from our shared language and culture. It was vital, he said, to establish genuinely closer ties and share business opportunities.
He told me his name was Josep Tarradellas, and that he was the Presidentin- exile of the Generalitat de Catalunya. I was therefore particularly struck by
the national way in which this Catalan spoke of Spain and the issues of the
day. Listening to him brought to my mind what they used to tell us in Youth
Front camps about ‘loving Spain in spite of ourselves’ in order to put things
right. That is not to say that the Honourable Tarradellas liked everything
about us, but he did present ideas and remedies to improve things. The propaganda of the Franco regime painted Tarradellas as an anti-Spanish, evil, and
conspiring separatist, a public enemy. He seemed to me on the contrary to be
a charming and cultivated person of broad political vision, with a great gift for
presenting things in a simple and accessible way. I keep that chance meeting
as a special memory. I learned many things from him. We exchanged addresses
Fig. 4.1 Spanish migrant workers in the sixties about to board a train. (Reproduced
from Félix Santos, Exiliados y emigrados: 1939–1999. Credit: www.cervantesvirtual.com)
4 We Are Stardust (1962–1968)
Spain incorporated Catalonia and other regions. He made me change my way
of seeing the world of Latin America and view it more accurate. His analysis
of the attitudes of Spanish governments towards the Hispanic nations
throughout history was thought-provoking and insightful. He lamented the
short-sighted policy of the Spanish politicians of the day, who wallowed in
sentimentalism instead of extracting the maximum benefit—including economic—from our shared language and culture. It was vital, he said, to establish genuinely closer ties and share business opportunities.
He told me his name was Josep Tarradellas, and that he was the Presidentin- exile of the Generalitat de Catalunya. I was therefore particularly struck by
the national way in which this Catalan spoke of Spain and the issues of the
day. Listening to him brought to my mind what they used to tell us in Youth
Front camps about ‘loving Spain in spite of ourselves’ in order to put things
right. That is not to say that the Honourable Tarradellas liked everything
about us, but he did present ideas and remedies to improve things. The propaganda of the Franco regime painted Tarradellas as an anti-Spanish, evil, and
conspiring separatist, a public enemy. He seemed to me on the contrary to be
a charming and cultivated person of broad political vision, with a great gift for
presenting things in a simple and accessible way. I keep that chance meeting
as a special memory. I learned many things from him. We exchanged addresses
Fig. 4.1 Spanish migrant workers in the sixties about to board a train. (Reproduced
from Félix Santos, Exiliados y emigrados: 1939–1999. Credit: www.cervantesvirtual.com)
4 We Are Stardust (1962–1968)