Books about the civil war, including fiction and nonfiction selections. Informative books that tell you about the spanish civil war. Apr 01, 2019 best books that take place in spains capital, madrid. Including narrative, questions and analysis of a wide variety of sources from popular novels and poetry to contemporary political. Some scholars of spanish history trace the beginnings of the civil war back to the spanish second republic suggesting the military coop was an inevitable maneuver to reestablish political order, others take it back to the spanish american war of 1898 and the failure of spanish imperialism arguing that the. Summary of the spanish civil war 3639 wikibooks, open. The best books on the spanish civil war five books expert.
Reporters, writers, artists, and doctors who witnessed the spanish civil war tell their extraordinary stories. Guerra civil espanola was a civil war in spain fought from 1936 to 1939. Perhaps one of the most famous novels about the spanish war of all times, george orwells homage to catalonia is an autobiographical account of his experience joining the militias in spain to fight against the nationalist army. Spanish civil war war narratives, war narratives, books. The man who punctured communisms lies about the spanish. He says that the majority of americans in spain including writer ernest hemingway, who.
The 14 best books about the spanish civil war madrid. Ernest hemingway and the spanish civil war the startup medium. Its very difficult to find books that arent slanted into an apologetic for the spanish republic. Costs and consequences conclusion the spanish civil war. It describes the complex origins of the conflict, the collapse of the spanish republic and the outbreak of the only mass worker revolution in the history of western europe. Jun 01, 2006 a fresh and acclaimed account of the spanish civil war by the bestselling author of stalingrad and the battle of arnhem to mark the 70th anniversary of the spanish civil war s outbreak, antony beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hardfought wars of the twentieth century. It came out after he had died but the book was dedicated to him.
There were largescale military battles that left tens of thousands dead. Spanish civil war history is now magazine, podcasts, blog. Americans in the spanish civil war, 19361939 is a nonfiction book by adam hochschild that was first published by houghton mifflin harcourt on march 29, 2016. The spanish civil war is one of the greatest civil wars in the history of the world. The approach is fascinating, the material excellent, the conclusions enlightening, and the book wholly recommended. Spanish civil war, 193639, conflict in which the conservative and traditionalist forces in spain rose against and finally overthrew the second spanish republic. In nine biographical portraits essays the author examines nine key figures from the spanish civil war, starting with those on the political right and moving over to the left. The novel deals with issues faced by spaniards as well as spain politically in the aftermath of the spanish civil war which side should spain join in world war ii. Spain history civil war, 19361939 art and the war they still draw pictures. The second republic the second republic, proclaimed after the fall of the monarchy in 1931, was at first dominated by middleclass liberals and moderate socialists, among them niceto. For the history book by hugh thomas, see the spanish civil war book.
The tejada series by rebecca pawel are mysteries set during the spanish civil war. Winter in madrid takes place in madrid after the spanish civil war. It resulted in great loss of life, much human suffering, disruption of the society and the economy, distortion and repression in cultural affairs, and. Payne offers the first comprehensive narrative of soviet and communist intervention in the revolution and civil war in spain. A young british woman goes on a weekend break in the city of granada and discovers its disturbing history during the spanish civil war through the romance between two young spaniards. For anyone interested in taking a deeper dive, here are some spanish civil war books fiction and nonfiction to get you started. The best civil war books of all time analysis civil. Not that much of the book is on the spanish civil war. When a military coup provoked civil war in spain in july 1936, many thousands of people around the. This book presents a new history of the most important conflict in european affairs during the 1930s, the spanish civil war. The spanish civil war is the one great example of a conflict where the losers got to write the histories. Spain comes to grips with its past under franco in this evocative firstperson account part social history and part travelogue. May 15, 20 the best book ive read on the spanish civil war is the revolution and the civil war in spain.
The spanish civil war project documented the response of the tampa spanish immigrant community to the spanish civil war 19361939. That was also the time when general franco considered joining ww2. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Reporting on the war for the north american newspaper alliance nana, hemingway penned 31 dispatches from spain. Ronald frasers blood of spain is excellent to understand the personal experiences of more than 300 survivors. Until the end of the ensuing dictatorship which lasted until general francos death in 1975 it was particularly difficult for spanish authors to write about. A valley of betrayal chronicles of the spanish civil war, book 1 by tricia goyer and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Spanish civil war, the soviet union, and communism yale. The best books on the spanish civil war five books. His experiences during the civil war provided the material for what many consider to be hemingways most famous novel, for whom the bell tolls 1940. The spanish civil war is considered to have begun in 1936 and ended in the year 1939. List of books and articles about spanish civil war online. Capitalism, theocracy, fascism, communism, socialism, and continued.
The americans soldiers of the spanish civil war the new yorker. Barcelona and the spanish civil war by nick lloyd is a history book that serves as a tour guide to discover events and personalities of the war specifically for barcelona. Homage to catalonia by george orwell, for whom the bell tolls by ernest hemingway, the battle for spain. The book discusses the violence and death of the war, a war that is barely mentioned at all in u. Homage to catalonia belongs in any list of important books on the spanish civil war.
The spanish civil war was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the modern era. It had become enmeshed in the international civil war, which started in earnest with the bolshevik revolution. What are some good books about the spanish civil war. A prizewinning account of the disintegration of spain in the 1930s, beevors work is the best overall history of the bloody civil war. Between 1936 and 1939 over 500,000 people were killed in the spanish civil war so this cannot be considered a little war that was overshadowed by the problems that were occurring in europe during these years. If you are interested in the terrible details of the war, and the tyranny suffered by a six year old child, you will like the book. Republicans loyal to the left leaning second spanish republic, in alliance with anarchists, fought against a revolt. It was a bloody conflict that divided spain and drew in hitler, stalin and mussolini. He documents in unprecedented detail soviet strategies, comintern activities, and the role of the communist party in spain from the early 1930s to the end of the civil war in 1939. Discussionquestion so far i have read anthony beevors two books, the battle for spain and the spanish civil war. Much like the united states and the american people were shaped by the american civil war, it is the same in spain.
Until the end of the ensuing dictatorship which lasted until general francos death in 1975 it was particularly difficult for spanish authors to write about what took place. The epic story of spain s most notorious literary family and the long shadow of the spanish civil war. Spanish civil war 193639, military revolt by nationalist rebels, supported by conservative elements within the country, against the republican government of spain. A second revised edition was published by penguin books in 1965. The spanish civil war and the world it made richard rhodes, 2015. The book is based on hemingways experiences fighting in the spanish civil war and follows an american soldier in the international brigade fighting alongside the republicans. Discover book depositorys huge selection of spanish civil war books online. A lot of different groups worked together with the spanish republic the government of the time to stop him, including socialists, communists, anarchists, and other leftist groups. Beautifully written with a hawkeye for the telling anecdote, spain in our hearts constitutes an endlessly fascinating and utterly unputdownable survey of the war to defend democracy in spain that was not only the first act of the second world war but also, for many across the world, the last great cause. List of books and articles about spanish civil war. Ernest hemingway and the spanish civil war the startup.
It is set in barcelona during the 1940s in the period following the spanish civil war 193639. When langston hughes went to report on the spanish civil war. I still assign this to graduate students as an example of historical writing at its best and for its deployment of the concept of irony to the sectional conflict. Like the bitter conflict in iraq today, the spanish civil war was pathologically vicious. He also helped to produce a prorepublican film, the spanish earth. The return is a book that combines a love story, the history of the spanish civil war, and the local culture of andalucia.
George orwells spanish civil war memoir is a classic, but. So herberts book on guernica is one that i would always include in the five most important books on the spanish civil war in any language. During the spring of 1937 paris became the great staging area for journalists on their way to the spanish civil war, and a centre for. Perhaps his most poignant poem from his time in spain, most of which was written during his first few weeks in the country, moonlight in valencia. The left side, known as the republicans, was formed by the spanish government together with unions, communists, anarchists, workers, and peasants. Yet this book makes me think that in some crazy way the spanish civil war, for all its barbarity and cruelty, helped shape the modern nation the world recognizes as spain today. On the other side were the nationalists, the rebel part of the army, the bourgeoisie, the. The book is an account of the american volunteers who participated in the spanish civil war from 1936 to 1939. Best books to read about the spanish civil war 19369. The epic story of spains most notorious literary family and the long shadow of the spanish civil war. Spanishmexican author aubs masterpiece is a cycle of six novels entitled the magic labyrinth, written between 1943 and 1968, and based on his experience in spain during the spanish civil war. George orwells spanish civil war memoir is a classic, but is. I wrote a book about war correspondents during the civil war which i wrote for herbert. He situates the spanish civil war in the context of revolutionary and counterrevolutionary confrontations in europe.
Thomas has understood the spanish civil war incredibly well and has written it superbly. The causes of the spanish civil war what were the causes of the spanish civil war. Drawings made by spanish children during the spanish civil war, 1938 electronic edition, c1998, contrib. He has a long standing interest in many aspects of militaria but his particular passion is reserved for the english and spanish civil wars.
Feb 20, 2020 the spanish civil war project documented the response of the tampa spanish immigrant community to the spanish civil war 19361939. Julius ruiz, university of edinburgh this is an extremely insightful book that has remarkably condensed analytical power. Hochschild chronicles americans involvement in the war in his new book, spain in our hearts. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The project was partially funded by grants from the program for cultural cooperation between spain s ministry of culture and united states universities and from the florida humanities council. The spanish civil war cambridge essential histories. It has informed opinion in the englishspeaking world about the war. The causes of the spanish civil war history learning site. May 06, 2017 george orwells spanish civil war memoir is a classic, but is it bad history. The spanish civil war 18 july 1936 1 april 1939 was a war in which the spanish general francisco franco and his troops successfully took control of spain. Not really a civil war book, but crucial to understanding all other civil war books.
The country suffered death, destruction, and repression on an unprecedented scale. A fresh and acclaimed account of the spanish civil war by the bestselling author of stalingrad and the battle of arnhem to mark the 70th anniversary of the spanish civil wars outbreak, antony beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hardfought wars of the twentieth century. From 1936 to 1939, the spanish civil war was one of the biggest stories in international news. Civil war, personalized a death that was no longer heroic and idealized as civilians imagined. The civil war that tore through spain in the mid1930s remains one of the most controversial subjects in the country today. Courtesy of the abraham lincoln brigade archives, brandeis university library. An officer in a pretty uniform or a nurse in a clean white dress. International brigades in the spanish civil war the internationalsunited with the spaniards we fight the invader, poster by parrilla, published by the international brigades, 193637.
Mar 16, 2018 a spy novel set just after the spanish civil war, the novel follows a british veteran of dunkirk who is recruited to work in the british secret service in madrid. Spanish civil war 19361939 history of spain don quijote. Paynes vast knowledge has generated an uptodate and inclusive history of the spanish conflict. International brigades in spain 193639 osprey elite book 53 ken bradley was born in 1944. Discover librarianselected research resources on spanish civil war from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more.