Europa como cultura

The origins of this text are very specific. On 15 March 2002, on the occasion of the European Summit in Barcelona, and on the pages of a well-known Madrid newspaper, Jorge Semprún reflected on the meaning that being European had for him. To do this, he embarked on three “intellectual journeys” to Vienna, Prague and Buchenwald, all three of great historical and cultural significance. Given the interest of the text and of the moment, 1 considered it appropriate to comment on aspects of the article — firstly, to underline the value of Semprún’s contribution; secondly, to correct certain biographical inaccuracies, possibly due to a hasty translation; and thirdly, to complement Semprún’s valuable contribution, essentially concerning the meaning of Europe. This text takes that comment as its starting point.