The conference, taking place in the library's Sala Polivalent at 7 PM, will focus on the personal experiences of Gentil Puig, a Doctor of Romance Linguistics from the University of Montpellier, who arrived in France with his family during the Republican retreat of 1939.
Son of the leader of Unió de Rabassaires Nònit Puig, Gentil Puig grew up and was educated in the neighboring country, where he developed his career as a sociolinguist and specialist in teaching the French and Catalan languages.
“"When you arrive in a new country, you don't just have to learn a language. You have to learn new ways of living, overcome mistrust, and rebuild your life. Catalan identity was also a support network that helped us move forward."
Puig, also a prominent opponent of Francoism with a career marked by left-wing political militancy and cultural activism, will offer a personal perspective on the memory of the Republican exile. He will address the links between Catalonia and France, and describe the camps for men in the south and the shelters for women and children in the north of the neighboring country.
