City of Mist’

by Emma Owen

‘The City of Mist’ is a collection of short stories showing snippets of livelihoods, selecting an array of characters from hitmen to prostitutes, to the famous figures of Cervantes and Gaudi. Zafón is able to achieve a sense of place within Barcelona due to his judicious and rich descriptive skills that transgress from other authors. For instance, all of the short stories are transcribed throughout different time periods, starting as early as the 15th century to the present day. The instability of society is coherent within the novel as Zafón captures the Spanish civil war, thus linking the destruction as well as the influence that man has upon the sense of place. By incorporating a place’s history, by a ‘swarm of black angels… over the red sky of Barcelona, dropping columns of bombs that would never be seen as they hit the ground’, spreading awareness that the city is still reeling from the destruction and loss. Through the characters’ experiences and memories, Zafón creates a sense of the city’s past and how it has shaped the present. By subverting away from chronological order, all the stories are based within different time slots, forcing us to transcend throughout time and create the continuous journey of time-travel to assess the severity of the impact of culture and history upon Barcelona. However, the temporal distortion between the reflecting narratives is insignificant to the novel. By eliminating the meaning of time, the idea of place is exemplified throughout the book as it’s the only element that provokes solidity for the characters. This is expanded by Zafón shifting away from conventional writing styles of linking characters together by narrative momentum and by fortifying a single theme throughout the piece. And this is the importance of place. The importance of Barcelona.

From initial ideologies of Barcelona, the place is a hub to any aspect of tourist attraction due to the food, architecture, location and leisure. Marketed as ‘the perfect city break’, Barcelona is visited by over 8 million international tourists annually. However, I am not a tour guide! No where near… In fact, I want to spread the true meaning of Barcelona, the message that Zafón dedicated his life to.

Zafón incites a sense of place through his descriptions of the city’s landmarks, such as the Gothic Quarter, Las Ramblas, and the Barri Gòtic. He describes the narrow alleys and winding streets of the Gothic Quarter, the hustle and bustle of Las Ramblas, and the grandeur of the La Sagrada Familia. Through these descriptions, we can picture the city through a geographical lens to identify the significance of maps and locations to a place, but to also share the history associated with landmarksthe significance of identities made and destroyed throughout the ever-reigning stature of architecture.

I want to share the mystery and tension of Barcelona created by Zafón. The labyrinth of secrets and foils symbolic to the rolling alleys and dark corners and the unforgettable thrill that this city implores. The fusion of gothic-noir with elements of history and secrets create the enigmatic sense of the blanketed world of Barcelona. Zafón sublimely creates the dusting of the city, the over-cover of leaves that create the cinematic approach of gargoyles, basilicas and palaces, cathedrals and amphitheatres. Yet, I want to explore the undergrowth, the ideas within the mist. The sense that the characters are parallel with the place, from shunned and violent backgrounds that forever shape their meaning and history to obtaining a resilient spirit of being fulfilled with sights of beauty, architecture, culture and reaching the most ultimate sense of purity- by being ‘happy at last’- Zafón’s last literary words. A journey complete by shaping the ideals of ‘home’. Even from the thrill-seeking and dangerous adventures, the utter beauty captured within the novel provides a safety net, a level of trust and friendship associated with the city. Suggesting that Barcelona takes on much more humane roles to evoke a liminal space upon place and character; thus, defining the importance of ‘home.’

To sum up the true element of my article, the Financial Times states that “Zafón is a master of the atmospheric” helping tie the one true connection that mankind can accept, and that’s the power of ‘home’.