Ferran Soldevila (1894-1971) was a professional Catalan historian who also enjoyed success as a poet and dramatist. Seconded from the University of Barcelona, he went in 1926 on a two-year posting as Spanish language assistant at Liverpool University. On returning to Barcelona he was actively engaged in the cultural dimension of Catalanist politics in the turbulent years leading to the Spanish Civil War and subsequently the Franco dictatorship. His standing in the Catalan literary pantheon has been enhanced in recent years, as the appearance of our translation of his English journal testifies.

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