The oldest man in Catalonia is among the twenty most long-lived people in Spain. Escudé, who currently lives in Barcelona with one of his sons, accurately recalls his resource-scarce childhood in Capellades, where he lived with his mother and brother after the premature death of his father, who owned a plumbing workshop. His life changed in 1927 when they moved to the Catalan capital.
“"Despite what I have been through, I have been calm, I have not been ambitious, I have been aware of where I could reach and where I could not reach."
Among his most vivid memories are the proclamation of the Second Republic on April 14, 1931, and his voluntary participation in the Civil War. Escudé enlisted in the Pyrenean Regiment of the Generalitat de Catalunya, fighting on the Aragon front, including the resistance in the Bielsa pocket. After the defeat, he was transferred to the Battle of the Ebro. His Republican affiliation caused him employment difficulties in the post-war period, being rejected by companies with fascist sympathies.
Despite his age, Escudé remains active, doing crosswords daily and reading the newspaper. Politically, he holds strong opinions, especially regarding United States foreign policy. He also laments the decline in the use of Catalan in his Barcelona neighborhood, near the Sagrada Familia, and criticizes the ambition of the younger generations.
“"To me, these Americans are vulgar gangsters, because they talk about freedom and what they want is just power, power, and power."
