An intense novel translated into fifteen languages ​​and chosen as a best book by Lire magazine in 1988. Barcelona! The city of all wonders, all miracles, indeed, the city of all decadence, all vileness! *** What was Onofre Bovela dreaming of as he entered Barcelona's turbulent gates in preparation for hosting the 1888 Universal Exhibition? In the period between the two international exhibitions in Barcelona, ​​​​in 1888 and 1929, and against the backdrop of the noisy and turbulent city, both real and imagined, we follow the gradual rise of Barcelona through the adventures and transformations of Onofre Bovela, the penniless immigrant, distributor of anarchist propaganda leaflets, and itinerant seller of hair tonics, and his astonishing rise to the pinnacle of financial and criminal power in the city, where he would become the richest man, leaving traces in his wake everywhere—and oh, what traces! Arms smuggling during the First World War, land and diamond speculation, the selection of women and their rise to stardom, the adventure of aviation, and the exploitation of the early days of cinema... But what keeps us in suspense throughout the story is not only the fictional character of Povela, in her baseness and cruelty, but also the narrator's ability to draw colorful characters who develop in the dark regions of Barcelona's upper bourgeoisie. In a kind of black humor, Mendoza offers us a new and very unique twist on the Spanish vagabond novel and an imaginative carousel of myths/legendary characters of luxurious places. It is a satirical and insightful fantasy, brilliantly intelligent, its primary pillar being solid realism, while Mendoza maintains the free myth that, without a doubt, has enriched the novel and made it a breathtaking novel.