One exile and two endings. Emili Blanch and Jordi Tell, return or stay

Abstract

The end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) forced almost half a million people into exile, fleeing the repression and retribution wrought by the Fascist victors. Eager for immediate political refuge and hope for the future, men and women crossed borders, especially the border with France, leaving their homes behind and cutting ties with their habitual social and occupational circles. In some cases, exile buried a flourishing career; in others, it cut short careers that were just beginning to take flight. However, in many other cases, it enabled them to continue and consolidate. This paper proposes to analyse two parallel and, at the same time, diverging exiles when viewed through the lens of returning, specifically, two Republican architects: Emili Blanch Roig (1897-1996) and Jordi Tell Novellas (1907-1991). The same profession, but two different professional moments. The same political militancy, but a very different involvement. One exile, but two countries: Mexico and Norway. A geographical separation with two opposing endings: a possible return and an impossible return. Through their work (designed and/or actually built) and their words (memoirs and correspondence), they tell us about the experience of delocation, adapting to a new cultural environment, their ideas about what returning would be like, and the difficulties and distress experienced when actually attempting to return.