Novelists Dan Brown and Irvine Welsh speak up about Catalonia
Irvine Welsh criticizes EU’s silence on the jailing of grassroots civil society leaders
Novelists Dan Brown and Irvine Welsh usually write very different books about different unequivocally different subjects. Yet, they’ve both spoken up at the same time about a new topic: the situation in Catalonia.
Dialogue is critical
Dan Brown, best known for his novel The DaVinci Code was recently in Barcelona for the release of the latest book in the series, Origin, also set in the city. Brown commented on the situation in Catalonia by describing it as a “heartbreaking and troubled time.” He drew parallels between Catalonia and the United States, and cautioned that “it is most important in times of trouble that we protect normalcy.”
According to the novelist, this indeed means working “doubly hard, to make sure that the dialogue continues.” This conversation, he said, is “absolutely critical” in “times of trouble.” He also said that it’s necessary to “take the time to listen to people,” and to be “respectful with each other’s ideas.”
Still, Brown said that he’s “very optimistic” that this dialogue is “exactly” what will happen in Catalonia, adding that he has “sincere hope that everything will be worked out.”