The Struggle for Catalonia: Rebel Politics in Spain
by Raphael Minder
Minder, a journalist for The New York Times, provides a nuanced view of the independence movement. He explores both Catalonia's aspirations and the challenges of achieving independence, while also considering Madrid's perspective. An excellent resource for understanding the movement without partisan bias.
The Catalans
by Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian's bitingly funny novel of Dr. Alain Roeg, who returned home to a family in crisis, beautifully evokes Saint-Feliu, the town in Languedoc ("French Catalonia") where O'Brian made his home.
Catalan Food: Culture and Flavors from the Mediterranean
by Daniel Olivella
Olivella masterfully combines typical recipes with historical narratives about Catalonia’s culinary traditions.
Languedoc-Roussillon Map
by Michelin Travel Publications
A detailed regional map.
Ghosts of Spain
by Giles Tremlett
Tremlett, Madrid correspondant for The Guardian newspaper, takes us on a fascinating journey around Spain and through Spanish history
España - A Brief History of Spain
by Giles Tremlett
Bestselling author and journalist, Giles Tremlett delves into the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible and enjoyable account.
France, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by William Rodarmor (Editor)
This collection contains literary gems from all corners of France--not just Paris--by a select group of 20th-century French writers from Colette to Simenon.
The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs and Practices
by Andrew Phillip Smith
A deep-dive into the history, culture, and legacy of the medieval movement of Catharism
The New Spaniards
by John Hooper
John Hooper's fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the 21st century
Barcelona
by Robert Hughes
This big, thoroughly enjoyable cultural history of the city touches on architecture, art, religion and literature from Roman outpost to today.
The Frost on His Shoulders
by Lorenzo Mediano (Lisa Dillman translator)
In the 1930s, in an isolated valley of the Pyrenees Mountains, an aging teacher reconstructs a bloody and tragic event that seemed destined to remain forever hidden behind a wall of silence
Two Catalonias
by (Documentary)
A must see documentary on the divisions in Catalan Politics and the independence movement
Footprint Focus Guide Barcelona & Catalunya, Includes Andorra & Eastern Spanish Pyrenees
by Mary-Ann Gallagher
This slim Footprint guide provides up-do-date listings of eateries, lodging places, maps, as well as activities, sites and nightlife. The handy "Essentials" section also has useful advice on getting to and around Barcelona & Catalunya.
Cruel Crossing: Escaping Hitler Across the Pyrenees
by Edward Stourton
Drawing on interviews with the few remaining survivors and the families of those who crossed the Pyrenees to escape, Edward Stourton’s vivid history of this little-known aspect of the Second World War is shocking, dramatic and intensely moving.
A Short History of the Cathars
by Sean Martin
Martin provides a concise but thorough history of the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade, making it accessible to those new to the topic and giving essential context to Languedoc’s medieval heritage.
Cathedral of the Sea
by Ildefonso Falcones
Set in fourteenth-century Barcelona, Cathedral of the Sea is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war.
Soldiers of Salamis
by Javier Cercas
Cerca's novel follows a gripping investigation into a historical mystery rooted in Spain's tumultuous past. The story revolves around Rafael Sánchez Mazas, a key founder of the Spanish Falange and a minister in Franco's regime after the Spanish Civil War. Before his rise to prominence, Sánchez Mazas narrowly escaped execution by Republican forces, fleeing into the woods. Despite being spotted by a Republican soldier, he was spared—a moment that became a focal point of myth and storytelling, much of it propagated by Sánchez Mazas himself.
Decades later, author Javier Cercas delves into this account, uncovering deeper, often unsettling truths beneath the legend. His exploration is less about glorifying the miraculous escape and more about examining its human and moral complexities. While the narrative is reflective and occasionally speculative, it offers thought-provoking insights into historical memory and its modern implications. Despite sparse dialogue and a slower pace, the novel's powerful themes and emotional depth make it a compelling read for those interested in Spain's history and the legacy of its civil conflict. The novel was also made into a film "Soldiers of Salamina", released in 2003
The Burning Chambers
by Kate Mosse
Another historical novel by best selling writer, Mosse. The Burning Chambers explores the Huguenot-Catholic wars of the 16th century, bringing the conflict alive through personal stories and vivid descriptions of the region's unique landscape and historical turmoil.
A Most Holy War, The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom
by Mark Gregory Pegg
As talented a writer as he is a historian, Pegg never loses sight of the drama of grand expeditions, heroic sieges and the panoply of village insurgents, kings and crusaders in this rousing tale of the battle for Christendom.
Catalonia: A Cultural History
by Michael Eaude
Michael Eaude traces the checkered history and unique monuments of Catalonia through the ages
The Fire and the Light: A Novel of the Cathars
by Glen Craney
The Fire and the Light is a sweeping historical saga of crusading fanaticism, courtly romance, Vatican intrigue, and monastic conspiracy set during the infamous Albigensian Crusade.
In the Shadow of the Pyrenees: The Freedom Trail to Spain
by Kathryn Gauci
A thrilling and emotional novel about bravery and self-sacrifice, heartbreak, and revenge, set in one of the most dangerous and difficult of WWII escape routes.
How the French Think: An Affectionate Portrait Of An Intellectual People
by Sudhir Hazareesingh
Winner of the Grand Prix du livre d'idées, this original and entertaining book covers a wealth of information including French history, writers, philosophers, politicians,
Romanesque Churches of Spain: A Traveller's Guide
by Peter Strafford
A perfect companion for travellers, by leading Times journalist Peter Strafford. With its ten maps and arrangement by region, the book provides a stimulus for the exploration of wild and remote areas that are unfamiliar to many people, especially across the Pyrenees and in the mountainous areas of Aragon,
Laberynth
by Kate Mosse
July 2005. In the Pyrenees mountains near Carcassonne, Alice, a volunteer at an archaeological dig stumbles into a cave and makes a startling discovery: two crumbling skeletons, strange writings on the walls, and the pattern of a labyrinth; between the skeletons, a stone ring, and a small leather bag......
This historical novel is part of the "Languedoc trilogy" by author Kate Mosse; Sepulchre and Citadel are the other 2 novels.
Inquisition and Medieval Society
by James Buchanan Given
A professor of history, Given draws on the ideas of Marx and Foucault in this scholarly analysis of the papal inquistion in medieval Languedoc.
The Perfect Heresy: The Revolutionary Life and Spectacular Death of the Medieval Cathars
by Stephen O'Shea
An insightful review of a difficult subject - the Albigensian Crusade - and the tragic, bloody history of the Cathars,
The Shadow of the Wind
by By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. ...
Cadogan Guide Languedoc-Roussillon
by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
Based themselves in southwest France, Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls cover the sweep of the Mediterranean from the Rhone Valley to the Spanish border in knowledgeable detail.
Hot Sun, Cool Shadow
by Angela Murrills
In this mouthwatering travelogue interspersed with classic recipes, Murrills shows the allure of Languedoc and the slow food movement. Charmingly illustrated by her husband, Peter Matthews.
Homage to Catalonia
by George Orwell
Orwell's portrait of the Barcelona uprising and the spirit of a city at war is a classic, an observant and heartfelt report from the streets.
Montaillou, The Promised Land of Error
by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, Barbara Bray (Translator)
This absorbing, candid and marvelously detailed portrait of daily life in 13th-Century Languedoc was a French bestseller. It's based on the 600-year-old transcript of heretic interrogations by Bishop (later Pope Benedict XII) Jacques Fournier of Pamiers. 30th Anniversary Edition.
The History of Modern France: From the Revolution to the Present Day
by Jonathan Fenby
Traces the history of modern France from the end of Napoleon's reign to Francois Hollande in 2015
Catalonia, A Cultural History
by Michael Eaude
A literary, cultural guide to the art, architecture, traditions and history of Catalonia.
