Robert Hughes (1) (1938–2012)

This is a wonderful book, which tells Barcelona's story through the last two thousand years - though its main focus is the last thousand. Hughes' area of expertise is art and architecture, but in order to tell the story of Barcelona's cultural past and present, he has painted a vivid picture of the city's political and social past. Highly readable, this is a book so densely packed with information that it definitely merits a second, perhaps a third reading as an introduction to the history of this fascinating city.… (mais)

Robert Hughes writes beautifully and I was enchanted with his book "the Shock of the New. And here, with "Barcelona" he's done a great job. I worked for four years in Spain and made a number of trips to Barcelona. Loved the place and managed to see a fair bit of it. Though, as a tourist, one never really gets to know a city. Hughes's book is mainly historical but some delightful sections about Picasso and Gaudi. I really liked the book and I'm sad to see kit going to a charity. But I have to downsize my library and this is one of the victims. The reality is that I will never be able to sit down and re-read it ....pity. I give it five stars.… (mais)