Reviewed by: Mi vida entre canciones by Fernando González Lucini Elia Romera Figueroa Fernando González Lucini. Mi vida entre canciones. Madrid, Spain:, 2017. 272p. Mi vida entre canciones (My Life Among Songs) allows readers to immerse themselves in the life story of the most well-known chronicler of Spanish and Latin American singer-songwriters. The result is an inspiring book that encourages us to begin our own life among songs by including references to unfinished projects, books and music that we might further explore. While reading it, Spotify and Google would be good accompaniments in order to listen to the core songs such as Somniem, and to travel to Lucini’s lieux de mémoire like the street Las Novias or the notable concert hall Toldería. Readers will want to read [End Page 226] closely and to consume the work at a slower pace for a deeper understanding of Lucini’s world. This book beguiles readers to do further research. The author presents the book chronologically, from his first memories in Cataluña, to Jaen, to finally Madrid. The singer-songwriter tradition has counted on many different focal points nationally and internationally, so it is not too surprising that those who understand it best share this plural identity. Indeed, Paco Ibáñez, one of the first Spanish singer-songwriters to musicalize poetry, often begins his concerts saying: “I am a… Valencian, Catalan, Basque, French…”. This example also illustrates the close tie between Lucini’s personal life and the history of singer-songwriters in Spain. This bond appears in the first chapter when the author uses the recurring phrase “¡Y YO SIN SABERLO!” (“AND I DIDN’T KNOW IT!”). Every time we spot this sentence—always in capital letters—the author brings back an important event related to singer-songwriter history that he had missed at the time, but that he now wants to include in his life among songs. This technique merges his personal story and the cultural events that were taking place in the 70’s, when singer-songwriters were in the spotlight. Once we have read this slightly more intimate opening, what follows is the story behind Lucini’s books, projects, and hymns. The author, who is also a passionate educator, has repeated certain ideas tirelessly in his blogs, webs and books--concepts that he has condensed in emblematic sentences. Here he explains the story behind these slogans, like “Sueño, luego existo” (I dream, therefore I am) and others borrowed from Rafael Alberti, “¡Volad, canciones, volad!” (Fly, songs, fly!), or Gabriel Celaya’s “Cantemos como quien respira” (Let’s sing like we breath). Other chapters focus on Lucini’s vast bibliography, mainly on those books that are more closely related to singer-songwriters, which aren’t emphasized as much in his educational manuals. For instance, his tour de force--Veinte años de canción de España (1963–1983)—takes over four chapters. In My life among songs we learn how he got Antonio Gala, Gabriel Celaya, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and José Luis López Aranguren to write the prologue to each of his masterpiece’s volumes, or how they ended up with Luis Eduardo Aute’s, Rafael Alberti’s or Isabel Villar’s paintings on the cover. The third unifying thread, together with Lucini’s hymns and books, are radio projects in which he has participated. Lucini provides detailed references to help readers find these programs. The same procedure applies to his articles and journals; he always includes the exact information needed to locate them. After thirty-four chapters the reader has learned about Lucini’s wide variety of collaborations in journals, radio, conferences, art expositions, books, schools where he has taught. . . and they grant the reader access to the many events that form Lucini’s life among songs, as well as the many scenarios [End Page 227] that are ripe for further research. This is, in all, a great point of departure for those who want to begin learning about singer-songwriters in Spain and Latin America, as well as a rich read for those who love their music or study it. For Lucini, this is hopefully just another...