Josep Rovira i Soler was born on February 6, 1900 in Santiago de Cuba. His parents were Catalans (originally from Moja, Spain) and they had five children, four boys and a girl. However, the girl died very young of measles. His parents traveled to Cuba to participate in the family business of tobacco, which explains the birth of Pep so far away from home. Although he seemed to feel more Catalan than Cuban, he maintained his Cuban nationality until the end of his days.
He was born with malaria, and until he was two years old, he was called "between life and death", because his health was precarious and subject to continuous ups and downs. He was fed by a cow, which was provided solely for him, and from time to time they wrapped him with a freshly slaughtered calf. At the age of two, on the boat trip back to Spain, he was healed for good of his illness.
His family lived in Vilafranca del Penedes for a few years at the family wine business. They lived there for five years...
