The Song of Youth

In The Song of Youth, Montserrat Roig boldly presents eight remarkable stories that use language as a weapon against political and social “dismemory”. Her powerful and striking prose allows the important stories of those silenced by the brutal Franco regime to, at last, come to the fore. The Song of Youth is undoubtedly feminist and deeply critical but, as always, Roig’s lyrical writing gives shape, depth, and significance to the human experience.

READ AN EXCERPT HERE

‘Montserrat Roig, before her untimely death, was a shining light of Catalan literature. The stories in ‘The Song of Youth’ show her at her most urgent, energetic and inventive. While most of the stories are clearly set in the Catalonia of the 1970s and 1980s, they also have the quality of timeless fable.’
— Colm Tóibín

‘Searingly honest, inventive and devoutly humanistic, Roig’s voice is one I’m eternally grateful to Fum d’Estampa and Tiago Miller for bringing to my ears. Her songs may not always be easy listening, however they are remarkable, relevant and above all, required listening if we are understand what it is to be human.’ —Paul Spalding-Mulcock, The Yorkshire Times

‘Although covering numerous challenging topics, the stories are relatable in the characters that populate each page. The writing flows easily, maintaining an engaging pace. There is depth as well as humour, a poignancy in the unflinching portrayal of how people judge both others and themselves. A deftly written collection of short form fiction that I am glad to have read.’
— Jackie Law, Never Imitate blog. Full review HERE

‘Montserrat Roig is one of far too many women authors whose work has taken far too long to be translated into English. These stories, in this excellent translation, will introduce readers to a remarkable writer, who, though not always comfortable to read, is always searingly honest.’
— Margaret Jull Costa, three-times winner of the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize

‘The Song of Youth represents an array of lagoons in which Montserrat Roig’s most extraordinary flowers lay their roots.’
— Eva Baltasar, author of Permafrost

‘Gracefully translated and filled with stark beauty, this multi-layered collection is complex yet enthralling, and, with time, only keeps on giving.’
— Eleanor Updegraff, The Monthly Booking

‘Roig’s writing (and Miller’s translation) has a rhythm and engagement to each story, with character’s feeling vividly realised and fully formed. Stories that take 10 pages are just as engaging as stories that take two: it’s an incredibly interesting book.’
— Seren McKeever, Buzz Magazine

‘Roig’s writing leaves the reader with a vivid sense of time and place, but also invites them to consider how quickly real lives become fable, how easily we absorb war, oppression and pain into our collective memory. The effect of this is both soothing and unsettling, but perhaps this is where the acute sense of power in Roig’s work lies; in remembering things as they really were, on both a personal and political level, in all of their pain and beauty.’
— Claire Carroll, Lunate Magazine

‘In two decades of incredible, inspirational writing, Montserrat Roig left an indelible mark on Catalan literature that is finally being brought to the international community.’
— Jordi Nopca, author of Come On Up