For many people, the first reference point for the Spanish Civil War will probably be Orwell's 1938 memoir Homage to Catalonia (or maybe Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls), so it makes sense that Hochschild's book on Americans who volunteered there, despite the fact that Eric Blair a.k.a. Orwell was English, maintains a dialogue with him throughout. That dialogue is foreshadowed by the blurb from
Mike, thank you for such a terrific essay. My sincere compliments. While I did read ‘Homage to Catalonia’ by Orwell, I agree with you that you never got much background in Orwell’s book as to the exact causes and consequences of the Spanish Civil War, so I appreciated your further deliberations. Interesting also, to read about Hemingway’s presence in Madrid and also what Miller’s attitude was. Nevertheless, when Orwell did not provide much actual background in ‘Homage to Catalonia’ the book was devastating in the sense that it provided the reader with the sense of despair of fighting against Franco’s troops. When Franco was still in power, I remember, when on holiday in Catalonia, people were severely punished for speaking Catalan or even make a tiny allusion to things Catalan. There are still, till this day, indications of Franco’s legacy, like in the village I stay often at the Costa Blanco, there is a mountain site called ‘the German Mountain’, of which I only heard a few years ago that this beautiful mountain site with fantastic views was a gift of Franco to the Germans for their help during the Civil War. I was shocked to hear it. Sometimes you also notice Franco’s face in high up murals. Indeed, until this day, the Spanish population knows exactly which towns and villages were backing Franco’s troops. But, then again, we have a same phenomenon here in the Netherlands that people till this day know who were German collaborators during the war.
Oh gosh, Mike! Visiting the Gulags! Oh, hello, there, I am here to visit my friend Navalny!
Mike, thank you for such a terrific essay. My sincere compliments. While I did read ‘Homage to Catalonia’ by Orwell, I agree with you that you never got much background in Orwell’s book as to the exact causes and consequences of the Spanish Civil War, so I appreciated your further deliberations. Interesting also, to read about Hemingway’s presence in Madrid and also what Miller’s attitude was. Nevertheless, when Orwell did not provide much actual background in ‘Homage to Catalonia’ the book was devastating in the sense that it provided the reader with the sense of despair of fighting against Franco’s troops. When Franco was still in power, I remember, when on holiday in Catalonia, people were severely punished for speaking Catalan or even make a tiny allusion to things Catalan. There are still, till this day, indications of Franco’s legacy, like in the village I stay often at the Costa Blanco, there is a mountain site called ‘the German Mountain’, of which I only heard a few years ago that this beautiful mountain site with fantastic views was a gift of Franco to the Germans for their help during the Civil War. I was shocked to hear it. Sometimes you also notice Franco’s face in high up murals. Indeed, until this day, the Spanish population knows exactly which towns and villages were backing Franco’s troops. But, then again, we have a same phenomenon here in the Netherlands that people till this day know who were German collaborators during the war.
They certainly are!