Written in the form of a diary that runs from 1926 to 1928, English Hours is a delightful account of a Catalan in the UK during the interwar period. In it, Soldevila writes endearingly of the country and people that he meets while providing us with an invaluable “foreign” look at this critical period in 20th-century Great Britain.

English Hours is not only an insight into British society during this period, but also provides a detailed look at the way two cultures can clash and yet how, ultimately, it is the people and individuals who make up our countries.

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.

Alan Yates, born in Northampton in 1944, studied Modern Languages at the University of Cambridge. From 1968 he taught in the Department of Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield where he was promoted in 1990 to a personal Chair in Catalan Studies. Early retirement in 1999 enabled him to cultivate his enthusiasm for literary translation (exclusively Catalan-English), for which he has been awarded various distinctions.

"As choice as a 5 o’clock cup of tea."—El País

"A book that has contributed greatly to Catalan memoir writing, normalising it while at the same time elevating it to its highest climbs."—Lluís Bonada, El Temps

"Soldevila shows a great mind, an interesting life and a fascinating story. An excellent book."—Carles Ribera, Presència

"Read at the beginning of the 21st century, English Hours represents not only the rediscovering of a piece of writing once lost to culture, but also the necessity to connect this uncertain present with a brighter past."—Francesc Foguet i Boreu, Llengua Literatura

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