Borja Vilallonga
Borja Vilallonga is a historian and writer. As a scholar, he has held positions at Columbia University, New York University, and Newcastle University. His research studies the relationship of traditional religion with modernity. He obtained his doctorate in history of religion from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France. Borja also writes regularly his journalism pieces, published in media outlets in Catalonia and the United States.
He published his first novel El tigre in 2024 at Editorial Empúries. In 2026, he published his second novel Makineros using his nickname «Kuki» as pen name.
Books
El tigre
An Adventure of the Spirit under the Yoke of Modernity
—the Literary Debut of Borja Vilallonga
Makineros
A Coming-of-Age Story at the Speed of Makina Music
—the Most Thuggish Novel Ever Written in Catalan
Latest Writings
About
Dr. Borja Vilallonga, Ph.D. is a historian of religion and writer. He earned his Ph.D. at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales of Paris, with a dissertation devoted to the religious and intellectual origins of the Spanish and Catalan nationalist movements in the nineteenth century. Borja has built his academic career in the United States, at Columbia University and New York University, where he was a postdoctoral fellow with Samuel Moyn and, later, Mark Lilla. His research focuses on the impact of modernity in traditional religion, from an experiential approach.
Nowadays, Borja co-leads Demian Media, a performance-first digital marketing agency specializing in paid search, data analysis, and market intelligence. Borja devotes his spare time to writing. Borja has published more than 300 articles in newspapers and media outlets in Catalonia and America. He has been a regular op-ed contributor in Diari Ara, El Nacional, and El Periódico, among others, and was editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine El Temps.
In 2024, he published his first novel, El tigre, acclaimed by critics and readers in Barcelona and Madrid. In 2026, he published his second novel, Makineros, using his nickname «Kuki» as pen name.
As an oddity, Borja has a coat-of-arms, speaks 11 languages—5 at a native level—, is a yoga instructor, and occasionally produces makina music.