Andorra's WWII Freedom Smugglers Inspire Cultural Surge

A surge in cultural works is highlighting Andorran freedom smugglers from World War II, building on the massive success of Laia Perearnau's *La passadora*. Key recent additions include Judith Colell's film *Frontera*, which premiered last Friday but has no confirmed screening yet at Illa Carlemany, and Núria Cadenas's Proa Prize-winning novel *Qui salva una vida*, presented this evening at 7pm at La Trenca bookstore by the author and Albert Villaró.

Barcelona-born Cadenas, 55, who has lived in Valencia for over 25 years, draws from her family history in the book. It centers on her great-uncle Joan Domènech, Puigcerdà's priest, who organized an evasion network during the war's central years. The narrative weaves in a varied group of civilians: Dorres's priest on the French Cerdanya side, communist activist Melitó Sala from Ix who perished in Neuengamme, Austrian nurse Freidel who saved dozens of children from Rivesaltes camp, and Rosita, the modest Puigcerdà cinema ticket seller famed for her chocolate scent. Even darker figures, like the Bishop of Urgell and the Co-Prince, appear alongside documented scenes.

Cadenas describes her characters as "ordinary people without special heroic qualities who, at the critical moment, chose humanity." She acknowledges fiction's blend of reality and invention—admitting dialogues are imagined but rooted in historical essence, such as her uncle's documented beating by an ex-Gestapo member in Organyà church. The author rejects simplistic heroes or villains, emphasizing everyday courage amid widespread indifference or hostility. Not everyone aided the networks; atrocities included German and Vichy militia razing Balmanya, followed by a public auction of looted goods, and shunning families of the arrested. Yet small acts endured, like anonymous food left at windows.

In a recent interview, Cadenas linked the story to contemporary lessons: "We cannot afford to disdain the common good." She highlighted how ordinary individuals risked lives for strangers, offering hope against individualism, much like solidarity during recent disasters such as the DANA floods. The novel balances raw horror—persecution and mass crimes—with sparks of dignity, portraying resistors as flawed yet resilient figures who expected no reward.

This trend echoes pioneers like Norbert Orobitg's *Pau dins la guerra* (1970) and Francesc Viadiu's *Entre el torb i la Gestapo* (1974, later a TV series), alongside others including Hughes Lafontaine's *La princesse de Sant Julià*, Jordi Arbonès's *Boira negra a Barcelona*, Roser Caminals's *Els aliats de la nit*, and Pep Coll's *La llarga migdiada de Deu*. Hits like *El andorrano*, *La passadora*, and Agustí Franch's *El fred que crema* have amplified interest.