The celebrated art nouveau architect Antoni Gaudí was a contradictory figure: deeply religious and politically right-wing, he nevertheless created revolutionary, lyrical buildings. This book explores Gaudí’s life, work and influences, from Catalan nationalism to the Industrial Revolution. Michael Eaude expertly guides readers through Gaudí’s great works – including the Sagrada Família, which attracts millions of tourists to Barcelona each year – and examines his monumental life, from the architect’s provincial upbringing in Reus to his time in Barcelona, where he became a dandy whose only attempt at marriage was rejected. Gaudí later suffered a nervous breakdown, became obsessively religious, and fused Gothic, Baroque and Orientalist architecture into his unique style.

Journalist Eaude delivers an energetic survey of the life and work of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí . . . a worthy tribute to one of history’s great iconoclasts. * Publishers Weekly *
The book provides good historical context for some basic understanding of Gaudí’s motives and historical setting . . . Eaude writes very accessibly . . . Adorned with 57 illustrations and/or snaps, though black and white, it feels a complete picture of the man and the myth . . . A concise, yet contextual and entertaining overview of the life and times of one of Spain’s most well-known and prodigious architects. * Bookmunch *
Eaude’s “Ode” to Gaudí is a wonderful introduction to the architect as genius and Catalan myth, while also celebrating Gaudí's extraordinary capacity to blend a medieval mindset with his position at the cutting edge of the avant-garde. * Gijs van Hensbergen, author of Gaudí and Guernica *
This new intellectual biography explains the complex synergy between the life and work of Gaudí at a crossroads of history: from the awakening of the Catalan bourgeoisie to the shipwreck of his legacy in Barcelona today. * Carolina García-Estévez, Serra Húnter Professor of History of Architecture, UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia), Barcelona *

Michael Eaude is a writer who has lived in Barcelona and Valencia for more than thirty years. He is the author of several books on Spanish and Catalan culture, including A People’s History of Catalonia (2022).