The war where no one ever died

Males Herbes has published Dins el riu, entre els joncs (In the river, among the reeds), in which Antonio Munné-Jordà writes of three Catalans who enlisted in the “Blue Division”, which fought alongside the Germans in WWII, with the blue representing of the shirt of the Falange. Two of the characters are inspired by the father and uncle of the author. “It’s a documentary novel. Three people who enlist in the Blue Division for different reasons,” says the author.

Born in Barcelona in 1948, Antoni Munné-Jordan is passionate about art and literature, a writer and proofreader for the magazine Serra d’Or since 1976 and this is his 10th novel. “In principle this is my last novel, because, after 50 years of writing, I have had enough. Writing demands an energy that I do not have ...” he admits.

Editor Ramon Mas, says the book centres on a topic that has been dealt with very little. “Here we have a historical novel, rigorous and methodical, incorporating newspaper clippings, excerpts from speeches from the radio, the songs of the time, all embedded naturally within the text.”

“As a child, I played at home with badges with swastikas and bullets. My father even had the Iron Cross,” explains the author. But once he became aware of his father’s past, he broke contact for many years, publishing the book now as the only people involved still living are himself and his sister.

The questions as to why young Catalan men could fight for Hitler, why the silence afterward and why it was never explained intrigues the writer. Like a war without, bullets, without victims. But even he was afraid to know the answers, especially concerning his father. The work reflects on silence, secrets and family, the horrors of the war, even though it may seem that never one ever dies.