Firing Squads, and the Horrors of War

In this short segment from Carme Solé’s interview with the Catalunya Barcelona team, the artist discusses her father’s death sentence during the Spanish Civil War, and the woman responsible for saving his life.

ENGLISH

This is the horror of civil wars. For example, my father was saved from being shot to death. He was to be killed at ‘La Rabassada’, in the ‘Collserola’ mountains. 

The moment he was taken, my family called the local midwife. And this woman went down to the neighborhood where they’d taken my father, to the dilapidated homes in Horta, and said to them: 

“If you kill Ferran,” which is my father’s name, “Your wives will give birth alone.” 

And that saved his life. They had already taken him.

CATALAN

De les guerres civils, l’horrorós és això, per exemple el meu pare va ser salvat de ser fusellat, l’anaven a fusellar a la Rebassada, a les montanyes de Collcerola portaven la gent allà a fusellarlos; perquè quan se’l van endur, la meva familia van anar a avisar la comadrona del barri, saps qui és la comadrona, no? La que dona a llum, ajuda a parir.

I ella, que era una dona amb totes les de la llei, se’n va anar al barri on hi havia els que s’havien endut al meu pare, que era allà a les cases barates d’Horta, i els hi va dir: “Si matáis a Ferran”, el meu pare es deia Ferran, “vuestras mujeres parirán solas.”

I el va salvar ella, perquè ja se l’havien endut. Vull dir que fixa’t: només a la meva familia ja si hi han coses, no?