Jordi Casals and Muerte Por Funky

In the subject of Spanish language, we had to read the book "Muerte por Funky", written by Jordi Casals. The main character of the book, Eutanasio, works helping people to commit suicide and between all of this "works", there also are loves problems, revenges for suicides that went wrong... Well, the author of the book lives in Figueres and he teaches history in the high school of Roses, so he came to make a speech about the book and clarify some doubts.

In the morning, all the students of first of batxillerat and some teachers went to the Convent Of Santa Clara where the speech would take place. When we were all sitting, Jordi Casals started the conference.

At the beginning of it, the author confessed us that it wasn’t the first time that he did this kind of conferences to students of a high school and for this, he already knew more or less which would be our questions. So during the two hours which latest the conference, he didn’t stop talking about the book. He told us some interesting facts about the novel, for example, he told us that at first, what now is the novel, it would have been a screen player, but some friends convince him to pass it at novel. He also talked about the set of the novel: the history elapses in the Barcelona of 80's, when the music was an important entertainment in the city and also, in the Barcelona that he lived. Jordi explains us that before be teacher, he was member of a group of music and for this, all the musical references in the book such as the fact that the main character, is also manager of a rock band in Barcelona that will have exit at the end of the novel or what I think is the most quirky of the book: the titles of the chapters: instead of be a number or a “normal title”, are the name of different songs. Jordi also talked about this, he say that while he was writing the novel, in his way to the school by car, for example, he listened to some song that inspired him for make the

chapter and for this, he decided to put the title of the song at the beginning of it. He also talked about all the characters of the novel and he admitted that he was inspired by some friends for make them. The novel have autobiographical dates too, like the set of the novel, the music elements, the romantic infidelities... Summing up, the speech was very interesting and entertaining because we laugh a lot and there also were a very emotional moment when the author talked about the suicide and the complications and difficulties of the live, but he advised us to think that always, something better will come. 

I think that the students where a little participatory. When Jordi stopped to talked, rather, when made him finish because time was running, we make a few questions but I think that it was because the dedicatory) author had already answered all the questions that we had! Anyway, when the speech ends, we were able to talk with the author and he signed our books (well, actually the author only put my sister name in the dedicatory).