Forging the Community: Explorations of Memory in Two Novels by Jes?s Moncada

This article discusses two novels by the Catalan writer Jes?s Moncada: Cami de Sirga (first published 1988) and Estremida mem?ria (1997). Both revolve around the same fictionalized community, and Moncadaʹs exploration of the processes involved in maintaining and enhancing that community in the face of different challenges is one of the most interesting aspects of his work. Here, the role of memory in this exploration is discussed, with the aid of selected psychological and sociological theories, from two different perspectives: the workings of individual autobiographical memory, and the creation of collective memories of the events which shape the fictional community of Mequinensa.