Homage to Catalonia

An editor from Slate magazine stated that "Homage to Catalonia" was one of his top three non-fiction books. That's a strong claim, and also what motivated me to download this to the Kindle.

Orwell paints a vivid picture of the Spanish civil war prior to WWII. It is well written and a compelling read. Orwell travels from Britain to Spain and joins the Independent Labor Party and POUM [...] anti-fascist army in the fight against dictator Francisco Franco. His detailed descriptions of fighting on the front with ill-prepared comrades and antiquated weapons provide a palpable sense for trench warfare.

At a few points in the book, Orwell departs the narrative and provides deep political analysis of the interactions between the PSUC, PCE, POUM and the various societal components of Spain at the time (bourgeois, farmers, workers, the Basques, etc). For the detail-oriented buff of Spanish history, these would no doubt be valuable nuggets, but I admit that I found these sections pretty dry and that I longed for the return of the story line. Suffice it to say that the political and social landscape in Spain around 1936 was extremely complex on one hand, and yet simplistic with regard to the world view of the rise of fascism elsewhere.

Homage to Catalonia gave me perspective that I'd not had prior, and first-hand perspective regarding the views of Orwell himself. Recommended, but I'd fall shy of calling it one of the top non-fiction books.

-j

into the tragedy that was the Spanish Civil War. The political complexities of this struggle are still misunderstood by many even to this day. 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. My first surprise here was to learn that the Communists were the far right in this not so little soiree. 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. 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. A great book that belongs on the bookshelf of all serious collectors of Spanish Civil War writings.

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.
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. 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 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.

A must read for Orwell fans who may not have read this work. This is the book that lead to Animal Farm and 1984.

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. Enjoyable read most of the time, but a bit heavy on philosophy in some parts.