|
His personal experiences in the trenches along with his observations on the conduct of the war and of the many people he meets are very interesting and should not be missed by any student of history. Orwell goes into great detail to give the reader a grasp of the many factions involved in this war. The travails of the POUM Militia to which Orwll belonged and the events that led to it's purge anchor things nicely. into the tragedy that was the Spanish Civil War. A great book that belongs on the bookshelf of all serious collectors of Spanish Civil War writings. It was far more than a struggle between the Left and Right (Communists versus Capitalists in this case)as Orwell shows in this treasure of a book. The political complexities of this struggle are still misunderstood by many even to this day. My first surprise here was to learn that the Communists were the far right in this not so little soiree.
This is not only an expertly told account of the real as well as the political nature of what went on (at least from the Loyalist side) during critical points of the Spanish Civil War, but it also serves as a treasure chest full of information beneficial to any persons interested in resisting the forces of fascism (corporate capitalism and its enforcer, the police state) which grip us daily in a tighter and tighter strangle hold in the modern world. I will keep this short, but if you are having any qualms about "wasting your time reading outdated history" or what not, don't think twice, even if you don't purchase this one, find a way to read it. I would suggest it as must-read material for any would-be revolutionary, protestor or freedom fighter in that it details many of the same forces that would inevitably be in play, even to this day (although undoubtedly given different names), should an uprising occur. This is just a great book. As a North American, I have long been confused about the realities, circumstances and forces at work in the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930's which led to Franco's long, loathsome tenure as dictator.
This is the book that lead to Animal Farm and 1984. A must read for Orwell fans who may not have read this work.
Enjoyable read most of the time, but a bit heavy on philosophy in some parts. This first-hand account of Orwell's time fighting in the Spanish Civil War is a good primary source in its own right, if approached with caution, but also givens some vivid insight in to why he approached his later writings the way he did.
Orwell's account, in conjunction with some other recent readings, forces me to reconsider events I may have looked at as axiomatic blueprints for 'just' causes. Much of the book describes his time spent on the front lines, along with another portion that untangles - or attempts to - the various goals of the forces fighting for the Spanish Government. My own unexamined opinions about this particular event in history were much the same. 'Homage to Catalonia' is the result of his observations, written after his participation, but before the war's conclusion, when Franco's defeat still seemed possible.
Throughout the second half of the book, it's clear that Orwell was becoming frustrated with the way the world's press had spun events of which he himself had first-hand knowledge, yet it was also evident that, as a weary participant, he felt a bit resigned to it. Even so, I believe it is a genuine and earnest account, with only the desire to clarify the situation in relation to his experiences. In that context, 'Homage to Catalonia' is an account of the particulars, rooted in the events it covers. And yet, without browbeating the reader, and almost as an aside, other themes inherent in Orwell's homage seem as germane to my world as it was to his. George Orwell went to Barcelona in 1936 as a journalist to cover the Civil War; instead, the idea of making a stand against fascism caught him up and so he enlisted in the militia. For the next year, he served two tours at the front and witnessed the street fighting amongst the Government forces in Barcelona. Still, he couldn't keep the irritation out of his recollections when he discovered that for some of the accounts, not only did the papers warp the truth into its complete opposite, but they also did not attempt to reconcile its fiction with reality. Like Orwell, I too have little doubt that some items are pushed in certain directions - might I also be surprised at how far and how effectively.Orwell came to Spain already opposed to fascism - leftist newsprint in England had convinced him that the conflict was a cut and dried affair of human decency against oppression.
That effectiveness was only possible because of the distances involved and the concerted effort to push a certain storyline, but it made me think of our own media, inescapably subjective regardless of intent. The fact that one side was not motiveless does not negate the injustices perpetrated by the other, but it does strip away some of my own illusions (fostered by a popular historical subjectivity). That a description written seventy-five years ago still carries an edge that fine is just good history to me. Orwell himself is no objective observer - something he admits several times while urging the reader to understand that his description of events can only be a reflection of the small corner of the conflict that he witnessed. They simply printed what they wanted their worldwide audience to read. It also serves as a warning to those who, perhaps longing to get behind such a clear-cut moral stand, will allow others to sway them to a course of action that is actually doubtful and unclear.
Then, facing jail because the militia he joined was outlawed by the ascendant Stalinists for failing to adhere to the party line, he escaped into France and finally home to England, all while still suffering from the throat wound that had knocked him out of the fighting. Orwell dismantles the idea of the Spanish Civil War as an emblem of the morally pure facing off against evil, and makes it clear that despite whatever idealistic impulses many of the volunteers against Franco may have had, larger forces subverted much of that energy to their own ends. I doubt Orwell had many illusions about them either, but I do think the effectiveness of these blatant fictions surprised him some. Aside from these comments, though, there is another, partially voiced complaint that must have preoccupied him for years after, as he revisited it in his later works - the use of propaganda in the war. Today, I think, we would look at many of the publications Orwell refers to and intuitively understand that they were communist publications, and with the experience of the Cold War behind us, assume that those papers would automatically spin the truth.
|
