He arrives at the moment that mediates between the last gasps of the morning and what is, officially, vermouth hour, so he hesitates whether to order a cortado or a beer. Finally, Ferran Aisa opts for coffee and asks that, in any case, if the radio must continue playing, it do so with a song by the Beatles or Bob Dylan.
Writer, journalist, historian, and poet, after ordering his drink, Ferran Aisa leans against the bar. A deep-seated researcher and an unavoidable name in the bibliography dedicated to libertarian movements, both in Catalonia and in Spain, the author of titles such as Dinamita Cerebral. Cultura, literatura, arte y poesía anarquista; Viaje por la España franquista, 1969-1970; ECN 1 Radio CNT-FAI Barcelona, la voz de la Revolución or El laberint roig: Víctor Colomer i Joaquim Maurín, mestres i revolucionaris, is also a reference expert on Joan Salvat-Papasseit, about whom he has published three books, and a fertile poet, as demonstrated by the large number of poetry collections to his credit.
"I have written several contemporary history books about the labor movement, especially of a libertarian tendency, and also biographies like that of Joan Salvat-Papasseit and essays like Utopía. I have published cultural articles in newspapers such as Diario de Barcelona, Avui, El Punt Avui, La Vanguardia, 20 Minutos, Diari Més or Solidaridad Obrera. I have worked as a documentalist and curator for institutional exhibitions. I have also published several poetry books and participated in poetry festivals such as Voces del Extremo in Moguer, Bilbao and Barcelona," explains Ferran, who points out that some books he has written with his partner, Mei Vidal.
The call of writing
There was a time when Ferran Aisa was a worker, an employee, with a dream: to dedicate his life and time to researching and putting letters together. "The main decision I made in my life was to leave a company where I worked to dedicate myself exclusively and professionally to writing. To survive I had to try many things… book reviews, history classes, scripts, exhibitions and, naturally, writing books. In short, it was an adventure that was worth it," he explains before insisting that he also counted, and a lot, on Mei's help.
The result is that, since 1987, Ferran Aisa has accumulated more than fifty titles. And it's growing. "After the publication of La huelga de la Canadiense, in 2019, which allowed me to travel through Catalonia and a large part of Spain, 2020 arrived marked by the restrictions of covid-19 and a surgical intervention I underwent. Now I have returned to research and the preparation of new books. For what remains of this year and next, if all goes well, I will publish two titles: Cultura y anarquismo and El anarquismo contra la dictadura franquista, 1939-1975. The first is a compilation of press articles and conferences, and the other, a study on anarchism and the CNT under Francoism." And he smiles, happy "about the people I have met from all over the Iberian Peninsula through my participation in cultural events."
--- And is there anything you are particularly proud of?
--- Perhaps having won the Premio Ciudad de Barcelona de Historia, in the year 2000.
Raval, sentimental memory
"I am a son of Barcelona, my parents were also born here. My grandparents arrived in the city as young people. My paternal grandparents from Aragon and Valencia and my maternal grandparents from Lleida. Therefore, I am a genuine son of the Crown of Aragon," he explains with a amused expression. "I was born in the Barrio Chino, on Calle de la Cadena where the Noi del Sucre was killed, my house no longer exists, it was demolished to build the Rambla del Raval," explains Ferran, who assures that there is nothing that repulses him about this Barcelona he loves, beyond the uncivil behavior "of some people who forget that the street and the city are everyone's heritage."
And, having finished his coffee, already in the middle of vermouth hour, he dares to order a beer to immerse himself in the sentimental memory of the Barrio Chino of the 60s of the last century. "When I was little I liked to go up to play on the rooftop, there we had very good times, the boys from the stairwell or from the street, telling each other aventis, as Marsé says, playing cowboys, soccer or anything else. In those years we made bonfires for San Juan in the narrow streets of the neighborhood. Later, when we were youngsters, we had parties with the yeyé music of the moment." Much of the spirit and experiences of that Raval have been captured by the writer through a conspicuous poetic production that can be savored in books such as Balada dels Ravals, El Raval de Barcelona or Calidoscopi.
With an absent expression, Ferran Aisa now closes his eyes to mentally review those past and eternal sensations, those that cemented his emotional education and propped up the world on which he has continued to live, think, observe, and write.
--- Forgive me for taking you out of your reverie, but lunchtime is approaching and I have to ask if you want to snack on something or have a menu.
--- If it were night I would order some portions, but since it's midday I'll ask for a menu, ---he replies with an affable smile and his half-drunk beer.