Francesc Candel Tortajada

Who was Francesc Candel Tortajada?

Francesc Candel Tortajada, usually known as well as Paco Candel, was a Valencian-born writer and journalist who lived most of his life in Barcelona.

He was born in a town of the Spanish-speaking comarca of Rincón de Ademuz, Valencia. When he was a little child, his family moved to Barcelona.

Most of his contributions are devoted to studying the 20th-century Spanish migrations in the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The book which made him famous was Els altres Catalans, a journalistic and sociological study about the immigration, which heavily influenced final decisions of the Assemblea de Catalunya in 1971. He wrote severals novels, tales, essays and articles. He also collaborated in several newspapers and magazines such as Tele/eXprés, Serra d'Or or Avui. He collaborated with Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia. In 1977, he was elected as senator in the Spanish Courts for Barcelona demarcation in Entesa dels Catalans candidature. In 1979, he became town councilor of Hospitalet de Llobregat as independent for PSUC, where he assumed the Culture department.

In 1983 he received the Cross of Saint George award. In 2003, Generalitat de Catalunya conceded him its Golden Medal.