THE WAR ROOM CHALLENGE - DECEMBER 2024 : THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

The Spanish Civil War fought from 1936-1939 between the Republicans (Left) and the Nationalists (Right). The Nationalists ultimately won the war and ruled via the Fascist Francisco Franco until his death in 1975.

Reading Options

The related books by Laurie Lee and George Orwell spring to mind. Orwell's A Homage to Catalonia being possibly the most famous book about the war.

Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls is also set in the war.
Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas
Remember Me by Mario Escobar
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Waiting for Robert Capa by Susana Fortes
Man's Hope by Andre Malraux

General histories by Adam Hochschild, Richard Rhodes, Hugh Thomas, Paul Preston

Well, I will be the first post, as I "found" about 8 extra hours during Thanksgiving to listen to an audio book whilst I was cleaning and cooking. I read Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell. I've read most of what Orwell has written, and this is my least favorite. I think it is because there are so many political parties, groups, and cities/areas of which I was unfamiliar that it just seemed so jumbled. (Maybe because I listened to it on audio instead of reading it in print?) This was Orwell's experiences during the Spanish Civil War, where he fought for the Republican (Socialist/Communist) side against Franco's Fascists. Interesting that he used the word Fascists and the history textbooks (at least in the US) use the word Nationalists to describe Franco's forces. Orwell spent a lot of time describing the in-fighting of the Republicans and what he finally saw as a betrayal by the same. He also addresses loyalty and the propaganda of the leftist press. The book ends with Orwell's escape into France when the POUM (Workers' Party of Marxist Unification) was suppressed. 8 hours 25 mins 3.5*

It isn't my favourite of Orwell's books either Tess, but still an important one.

I'll be reading To Tilt at Windmills: A Memoir of the Spanish Civil War by Fred Thomas.

>4 PaulCranswick: Would reiterate that The Spanish Labyrinth gives a very helpful context for understanding works like Homage to Catalonia.

I have a couple of books planned for this month: Brigadistes: Lives for Liberty by Jordi Marti-Rueda and Crusade of the Left by Robert Rosenstone. Beyond that, who knows? Certainly not me!

I'll be reading Hotel Florida: Truth, Love, and Death in the Spanish Civil War. I've already read quite a few books on the War so don't feel pressured to read much more on it.
I'll mention a couple of YA books that are well worth seeking out:
A World Between Us by Lydia Syson
The Freedom Tree by James Watson

>6 booksaplenty1949: Unfortunately I can’t find The Spanish Labyrinth in my library. I would like to understand more about the background of this conflict, so I’ve started Spaanse Burgeroorlog by Eric Storm. A series of audio lectures.

My library has some more options, but I’ll try to finish this one first.

>9 EllaTim: I see that the text of The Spanish Labyrinth is available on Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/spanishlabyrinth001334mbp/page/n3/mode/2up , if you ever read books that way.

I have several possibilities;
A Long Petal of the Sea
Spain in Our Hearts
The International Brigade
There Your Heart Lies

>10 booksaplenty1949: Thank you! I’ll give it a try!

Added: I’m reading the introduction. This promises to be really good. I’ll be ordering the paperback.

>12 EllaTim: The fact that it is still in print after 70 years is a testament to its unique perspective on the events.

I've finished Hotel Florida: Truth, Love and Death in the Spanish Civil War by Amanda Vaill which is an account of the famous and not so well known journalists and photographers who covered the Spanish Civil War. I've read quite a lot on the Civil War and this was a welcome read.

I have gotten one long read out of the way, finally, and also completed my book club book for this month, so the decks are now clear, and I am set to start my promised read for this challenge: For Whom the Bell Tolls. I hope it turns out to be more appealing than last month's read of A Farewell to Arms.

>15 atozgrl: I personally think that Hemingway’s work went steadily downhill.

>16 booksaplenty1949: Well, that's not encouraging. However, I am going to go ahead with the book, so at least I can check it off the list. Another classic done.

The books I read for this month's challenge were very good, especially Brigadistes by Jordi Marti-Rueda. I was very glad to have read Crusade of the Left by Robert Rosenstone before I read Brigadistes though since several of the people highlighted in that book also show up in Rosenstone's.

I read Giles Tremlett's Ghosts of Spain as well and although not specifically about the Spanish Civil War, there is a chapter early on in the book devoted to the subject.

>16 booksaplenty1949: >17 atozgrl: So far For Whom the Bell Tolls is working better for me than A Farewell to Arms did. I'm not very far into the book yet, so I can't tell if I will like the story. But it's got a real story this time, and is not so much boring chit chat. That alone is an improvement.

Finished There Your Heart Lies by Mary Gordon. This is historical fiction. A good explanation of the politics that brought the players together in Spain. Written in 2017 with the agenda of pointing out the current difficulties in the 21st century. It was a bit heavy handed on religion and conservatives.