Homage to Catalonia

This is an interesting first-hand account of the Spanish Civil War. Beginning with Orwell's enlistment in December 1936 and ending with his fleeing Spain in June 1937, the book is notable for its descriptions of life on the front and for its keen-eyed observations of the politics in Barcelona during this critical time. Of particular interest is the way Orwell skewers both the press on the right and the left, and shows a strong contempt for those who would stretch the truth or outright lie in order to match the narrative of their side. In a world where accusations of "alternative facts" fly left and right, Orwell's take on this critical juncture in history remind us that, in the words of Mark Twain, "history never repeats itself but it show more rhymes."

The Folio Society edition of this book follows Orwell's request to his literary executor that the political chapters be moved to appendices at the end. It incorporates a number of photographs, posters, and other era illustrations that greatly add value to the reading experience. show less

I read the edition that had the chapters of analysis separated as an appendix from the chapters that were firsthand accounts.

Orwell's accounts of life in the trenches and at the barricades deserve 5 stars. His simple, straightforward descriptions are highly evocative. Occasionally they're even funny. I've always found the thought of bayonets to be horrific, but Orwell's story of running through a trench, repeatedly trying, without success, to plunge his bayonet between the shoulder blades of his fleeing target has lessened the horror somewhat. It reminded me of C.S. Lewis's statement that if he and a young German had managed to kill each other simultaneously in WWI, he could imagine them laughing about it together afterwards.

The show more analysis in the appendix is somewhat less enthralling. It did clear up some of the mystery of the PSUC/POUM/CNT alphabet soup. And it did demonstrate that the effect of the Spanish Civil War on Orwell's commitments was not as simple as I had previously thought. He did think the Stalinists played dirty pool, but that doesn't seem to have steered him away from Marxism or revolution. And I'm more confused than ever about who really deserves to be called a Trotskyist.

Anyway, whether you agree with Orwell's politics or not, he does seem to have been a real mensch. show less

The Spanish Civil War was a historical precursor to World War II. Franco's fascism for a time united disparate opposing groups like anarchists and communists. The opposition attracted volunteers from across Europe. However, these groups began infighting among each other, and the opposition ultimately failed. As with most failures, the blame game ran deep among groups. The great English writer George Orwell's first-hand account provides as much light as can be shown upon the whole affair.

Orwell fought on the front lines for the "Trotskyist" faction of communists called the POUM. They were allied with the anarchists. They fought against the fascist Government under Franco and his allied communists, who sought order. This situation created show more a more-or-less four-way political war with each group seeking their own ends. Franco's faction ended up winning.

Orwell's account incorporates not only a war story on the front lines but also a political analysis of events, particularly a strategic falling out in Barcelona. The POUM became persona non grata and were jailed en masse. Along with an injury, these events forced Orwell and his wife back to England. The ill will and infighting, combined with Spanish culture, provides a tragic tale of high aspirations and a lack of follow-through too endemic among rivaling humans.

Originally, Orwell sought to oppose fascism boldly. Instead, he became trapped in the muck and mire of infighting. He wanted to awaken England to the continent's state of affairs; unfortunately, only Hitler's bombs would do that. To a degree, he also shows the failure of communist ideals to provoke a unified opposition. In times where the far-right seems increasingly active in Europe and North America, his account deserves deeper study to inform attempts at a unified opposition. show less

Homage to Catalonia is a well-written firsthand account of the Spanish Civil War, offering insight into a period that is often overlooked or simplified. Orwell provides a detailed perspective from within the conflict, particularly on the internal divisions and political complexities that shaped the war.

However, I struggled with this book. While I can appreciate its historical and literary value, much of its focus lies in the mechanics of war—military organization, weaponry, and the structure of the fighting itself. That level of detail did not engage me.

What I look for in war literature is an exploration of how conflict affects people—psychologically, emotionally, and morally. In this case, I felt a degree of distance from that show more human element. Orwell is present in the narrative, but often as an observer of systems rather than as a subject deeply immersed in the emotional consequences of the experience.

Because of that, the book felt more analytical than personal. It offers understanding, but not the same level of emotional immediacy or human impact that I look for in this kind of writing.

This is not a flaw in the book itself—it is doing exactly what it intends to do. But for me, it created a barrier to full engagement. show less

In July 1936, elements of the Spanish military rose against the weak governing coalition of left-wing parties, sparking the civil war that would see the rise of general Francisco Franco to the eventual position of Fascist dictator of Spain. Along with other foreign nationals bitterly opposed to fascism, British author George Orwell put his life where his mouth was and joined the Spanish militia holding the government line in northeastern Spain. These are his memories.

Orwell published this work in 1938, a decade before "Animal Farm" and "1984" rocketed him to fame. Having never read up on Orwell's personal history, I was unaware that he liked to call himself a "Tory anarchist," having rejected the British capitalist and colonialist show more system as a young man. He fought in Spain in an anarchist regiment in loose alliance with socialist and Communist forces, ultimately fleeing the country when these latter parties turned on Orwell's anarchists as excessively revolutionary for the historical moment.

Altogether this is a fascinating personal account of a period when Spain was torn between competing visions of power, as seen through the eyes of the man who would eventually write enduring literature on the nature and corruptions of total power. show less

After being underwhelmed with Orwell thirty years ago in high school, I picked this book up to learn more about the Spanish civil war and to see what I thought about the author as an adult. I admire the simplicity and beauty of Orwell's prose, as well as the moral clarity he exhibits in the book. There's a lot to juggle: His own experience of the war, describing the complex political scene away from the front, brief meditations on objectivity and bias. The book is far, far better than it has any right to be, given how quickly he wrote it. Best description of being shot through the throat I've ever read. High School me was wrong: More Orwell is on my menu, and should be on yours too.

“Everyone believes in the atrocities of the enemy and disbelieves in those of his own side, without ever bothering to examine the evidence.”

George Orwell’s memoir about his experiences as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War fighting the fascists. He was a soldier in the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista), which was part of a loose coalition of left-leaning forces on the side of the Republic opposing Franco’s right-wing Nationalists. Orwell explains the organizations involved and the political in-fighting that accompanied their attempts to band together. He gradually became less idealistic and realized the likely outcome would be some form of dictatorship.

Orwell describes the fatigue and frustrations on the show more frontlines, where troops were equipped with outdated weapons, were poorly trained, and only sporadically encountered the enemy’s troops. His account is infused with irony and humor. He relates his excursions in Barcelona, and the street-fighting that occasionally ensued.

He was shot in the neck, and attempts to convey the experience:
“Roughly speaking it was the sensation of being at the centre of an explosion. There seemed to be a loud bang and a blinding flash of light all round me, and I felt a tremendous shock—no pain, only a violent shock, such as you get from an electric terminal; with it a sense of utter weakness, a feeling of being stricken and shrivelled up to nothing.”

He thought he would die:
“There must have been about two minutes during which I assumed that I was killed. And that too was interesting—I mean it is interesting to know what your thoughts would be at such a time. My first thought, conventionally enough, was for my wife. My second was a violent resentment at having to leave this world which, when all is said and done, suits me so well. I had time to feel this very vividly. The stupid mischance infuriated me. The meaninglessness of it! To be bumped off, not even in battle, but in this stale corner of the trenches, thanks to a moment’s carelessness!”

Eventually the POUM was outlawed, becoming a scapegoat for war, and Orwell (and his supportive wife) had to flee Spain to avoid arrest, and a high probability of execution. It is written in a straight-forward manner and is an interesting first-hand account of what it was like to live through this piece of history. It is easy to find the seeds of his future anti-totalitarian works in this memoir.

“Now that I can see this period in perspective I do not altogether regret it. I wish, indeed, that I could have served the Spanish Government a little more effectively; but from a personal point of view—from the point of view of my own development—those first three or four months that I spent in the line were less futile than I then thought. They formed a kind of interregnum in my life, quite different from anything that had gone before and perhaps from anything that is to come, and they taught me things that I could not have learned in any other way.” show less