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Ramon Planes Izabal

Sitges, 1905 - Arenys de Mar, 1989

Writer and journalist, his first book and theater reviews appeared in the weekly paper Baluard de Sitges. In 1929 he started publishing in Gaseta de Sitges and was one of the promoters of the cultural center Ateneu El Centaure. After the proclamation of the Second Republic he joined Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya.

In the postwar years, his articles started to appear in L’Eco de Sitges and, between 1950 and 1955, he was part of the editorial board of the magazine Antologia de Sitges.

His debut novel, El pont llevadís (The Drawbridge) was published in 1950, and would be the first of a series of psychological novels. He went back to writing novels in 1971 with La terra té camins (Land has its Ways). Planes chose to change his register and began to write crime novels: Crim al carrer Tusset (Crime in Tusset Street) in 1973 and La filla del pintor (The Painter’s Daughter) in 1976. He wrote several screenplays for television in 1980.

As an essayist, he also made important contributions. His first book, Llibre de Sitges (Book of Sitges), published in 1952, is a key and still up-to-date work on Sitges’s history between 1870 and 1950. It is an essential book to learn about Sitges and its culture. Furthermore, his fascination with the figure of Santiago Rusiñol and the relationship between Sitges and the artist, led him to write four books on the topic.

In 1987 he published his Memòries (Memoirs) where he writes about his own experiences and events from Sitges’ 20th century history.

As a cultural activist, Ramon Planes was the promoter and first president of the Grup d’Estudis Sitgetans (1975) and founding member of the first board of the Institut d’Estudis Penedesencs (1977).

Henry Buckley (Manchester 1904 – Sitges, 1972)

British journalist, he was a Daily Telegraph correspondent sent to Madrid in 1929. In words of his son Ramon: “Mr. Henry was already in Madrid in 1929, unsuspecting of the fact that he would witness the fall of Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship, the exile of Alfonso XIII, the proclamation of the Second Republic and, lastly, the coup d’état in 1936. He lived through the whole process: for a correspondent, the timing was perfect.

By chance, he found himself in Sitges in the spring of 1938, when the Francoist troops were nearing the Ebre. He had arrived to the town with his friend, the painter Luis Quintanilla (1893-1978) to interview the Republic’s minister, Álvarez del Vayo. Here he met Maria Planes with whom he married.

On January 30, 1939, they crossed the frontier at Portús, together with thousands of other refugees, military and civilian. Back in London, he wrote The Life and Death of the Spanish Republic, a chronicle of his experience in wartime Spain during his years as a correspondent. Jaime Arias has qualified him as the best, most honest and thorough correspondent to live the Spanish tragedy.

After the journalist’s retirement the family settled back in Sitges.

Ramon Planes Izabal

Sitges, 1905 - Arenys de Mar, 1989

He lived in carrer Major, number 49. His house was referred to as "la casa del Gas" (the Gas house) because Ramon's father was owner of the Gasòmetre (gasometer), business that would pass on to him. His mother was daughter of can Xiquillo, the butchery that also served as meeting place where animated tertulies were held to discuss all public matters.

Writer and journalist, his first book and theater reviews appeared in the weekly paper Baluard de Sitges. In 1924 he started to collaborate with La Punta, under a pen name, U.N., with articles on cultural affairs, somewhere between news pieces and columns. In 1926 he joined the publication L'Amic de les Arts as Direction Secretary and would soon go on to become staff writer. .

In 1929 he started publishing in Gaseta de Sitges and was one of the promoters of the cultural center Ateneu El Centaure. After the proclamation of the Second Republic he abandoned the ideas of Acció Catalana and joined Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and began to collaborate with the political organization's newsletter, Opinem, and with the paper from nearby Vilanova, El Carrer. In the postwar years, his articles started to appear in L'Eco de Sitges and, between 1950 and 1955, he was part of the editorial board of the magazine Antologia de Sitges.

The scope of his work was not limited to local publications. In the decade of the 20s he started working as a translator from the French and English languages. His debut novel, El pont llevadís (The Drawbridge) was published in 1950, and would be the first of a series of psychological novels followed by El cercle de foc (The Circle of Fire) in 1952 and Confessió al tren (Confession on the Train) in 1954. After a long hiatus, he went back to writing novels in 1971 with La terra té camins (Land has its Ways).

Disappointed by the lack of attention the book garnered, Planes chose to change his register and began to write crime novels: Crim al carrer Tusset (Crime in Tusset Street) in 1973 and La filla del pintor (The Painter's Daughter) in 1976. He wrote several screenplays for television in 1980, with the same main character as his last novels, detective Claudi Gener.

As an essayist, he also made important contributions. His first book, Llibre de Sitges (Book of Sitges), published in 1952, is a key and still up-to-date work on Sitges's history between 1870 and 1950, which appeals both to the common reader and erudite audiences. It is an essential book to learn about Sitges and its culture.

According to Panyella: "it is the first cultural history of the town, thanks to the material collected by his father he can compile 60 years. It's the memory and the will to bear witness to a historical period and give it continuity." R. Sierra says: "It's a work both for the general public and the erudite, which, still today, constitutes the best material on the town's cultural history between 1870 and 1950". The book was reedited in 2004.

Others followed this first essay: El Penedès i Garraf (1961, Penedès and Garraf), Mir Geribert, príncep d'Olèrdola (1970, Mir Geribert, Prince of Olèrdola), El mestre Morera i el seu món (1972, Mr. Morera and his World) and Un príncep per a Olèrdola (1981, A Prince for Olèrdola), and, posthumously, Capità de lladres (1992, Captain of thieves).

Furthermore, his fascination with the figure of Santiago Rusiñol and the relationship between Sitges and the artist, led him to write four books on the topic: El modernisme a Sitges (1969, Modernism in Sitges), Santiago Rusiñol per ell mateix (1971, Santiago Rusiñol on himself), Santiago Rusiñol i el Cau Ferrat (1974, Santiago Rusiñol and the Cau Ferrat), and Santiago Rusiñol (1981).

In 1987 he published his Memòries (Memoirs) where he writes about his own experiences and events from Sitges' 20th century history. Aside from his seventeen published works, there is evidence of, at least, three others that have been lost. In 1932 newspaper ads announced the first volume of Defensa de la tercera República Catalana (In Defense of the Third Catalan Republic), with a prologue by Jaume Aiguader i Miró and edited by El Carrer, for 1 peseta. His first novel was also lost when Joan Sales had to go into exile, and another one set in Lleida.

His abundant literary legacy increases in 2015, after his wife, Teresa Catà, dies and half a dozen unpublished works turn up, amongst them two novels. The year before, in 2014, a series of articles and a conference had commemorated the 25th anniversary of his death. As a cultural activist, Ramon Planes was the promoter and first president of the Grup d'Estudis Sitgetans (1975) and founding member of the first board of the Institut d'Estudis Penedesencs (1977).

Henry Buckley

Also in carrer major 49 lived his sister Maria, married to British journalist Henry Buckley (Manchester, 1904 – Sitges, 1972), he was a Daily Telegraph correspondent sent to Madrid in 1929

In words of his son Ramon: "Mr. Henry was already in Madrid in 1929, unsuspecting of the fact that he would witness the fall of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the exile of Alfonso XIII, the proclamation of the Second Republic and, lastly, the coup d'état in 1936. He lived through the whole process: for a correspondent, the timing was perfect.

By chance, he found himself in Sitges in the spring of 1938, when the Francoist troops were nearing the Ebre. He had arrived to the town with his friend, the painter Luis Quintanilla (1893-1978) to interview the Republic's minister, Álvarez del Vayo. They spent a few days in Sunyer's house in the Vinyet neighborhood. Not as the painter's guest, who wasn't in Sitges at the time; like many others, they "occupied" the house. In fact, after them the painter Pruna would move into it. In one of the evening gatherings, the politicians were discussing about war and criticizing the role the Catholic Church had in the conflict when my father spoke on behalf of this institution. My mother [Maria Planes Izabal, daughter of a conservatist local businessman], present at the time, was surprised by that English man who dared raise his voice in defense of a church so criticized in the Republic and, after the tertulia, went to talk to the English journalist. And so began their love story, unthinkable in other circumstances: for the daughter of a man who had been, on several occasions, Sitges mayor, to be courted by a completely unknown English man and for them to get married, months later, in Barcelona."

It was love at first sight, love in times of war. They had a Catholic wedding in the Majestic Hotel in Barcelona in 1936. They married after only three months of courtship: she needed a British passport. On January 30, 1939, they crossed the frontier at Portús, together with thousands of other refugees, military and civilian.

Back in London, he wrote The Life and Death of the Spanish Republic, a chronicle of his experience in wartime Spain during his years as a correspondent. After he completed the book in 1940, the newly printed copies were stored in a warehouse, which was hit by a bomb. The Spanish edition was published in 2004, and in Catalan, in 2009; Paul Preston signed the prologue and also dedicated a chapter of his book Idealists under Fire: Foreign Correspondents in Spain War to his figure.

Jaime Arias has qualified him as the best, most honest and thorough correspondent to live the Spanish tragedy.

After the war, Maria and Buckley lived in several European cities and, between 1949 and 1966, established themselves in Madrid. After the journalist's retirement the family settled back in Sitges. It was their retreat: where they took time away from work and family. However, Buckley could never stand the firework display in Festa Major.

Many adjectives have been used to describe him: gentleman, discreet, modest, intelligent, brave, exquisite, honest, admirable, shy, moderate, catholic, a true journalist through and through.


Bibliography:
Sierra Farreras, Roland (1998). Diccionari Biogràfic de Sitgetans. Ajuntament de Sitges. Sitges.
Esquerda Bosch, Montserrat (2000). La ciutat del record. Ramon Nadal editor. Sitges.
Sierra Farreras, Roland (2002). “Els camins periodístics de Ramon Planes”. Butlletí del GES núm. 100 i 101. Sitges. (Conference of the day 31-11-1999).
Sella, Ventura (2014). “Ramon Planes, sitgetà, patriota i home de lletres”. Butlletí del GES núm. 151 i 152. Sitges. (Conference of the day 15-3-2014).
Buckley, Ramon (2015). “Els inèdits de Ramon Planes”. Butlletí del GES núm. 154. Sitges. (Conference of the day 24-1-2015).
https://www.fotografiacatalunya.cat/ca/cataleg/colleccions/fons-henry-buckley-de-larxiu-comarcal-de-lalt-penedes.