Universitat de València

Within the framework of the activities programmed within the Desembre Europeu Cycle, the presentation of the book Telefónica, by Ilsa Barea-Kulcsar, will be given by Georg Pichler under the direction of Alfons Cervera.

Telefónica is a surprising novel because of its desire to overcome the political differences of the Republic at a time when all those involved were fighting for the hegemony of their own party or union. The skill of the experienced journalist is shown, when plotting the scenes, handling the dialogues, interspersing the different levels. The relationship between her and Arturo Barea is the common thread, but it is far from being the most important story: as the title indicates, the author covers everything that happens on the 15 floors of the building. The secretaries, the orderlies, the soldiers, the correspondents, the censors, the guards, the refugees from the suburbs camping in the basements. Men, women, children. The book explores what they carry themselves: courage, resentment, doubt, kindness, fear. It is about the conflicts within the Workers' Committee, between a communist man and an anarchist woman- the only woman who does not bend to the dominant male chauvinism- of distrust towards the foreigner and how she is gaining her sympathies.