Semi-inspired by my love of Pan’s Labyrinth and realising I know next to nothing about that period of Spanish history I’d love to know some suggestions for what the best/most accessible books might be about this period.
Non-fiction / narrative non-fiction / fiction all welcome.
by llksg
3 Comments
Here’s my comment from a similar question a month back: [https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/1d1gb7o/comment/l5uz4dx/](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/1d1gb7o/comment/l5uz4dx/)
Antony Beevor’s “The Battle for Spain” is pretty detailed but will cover the basics for you.
Ronald Fraser’s “Blood of Spain” is an oral history. More of a collection of primary sources than Beevor’s overview. I don’t think I actually finished this one.
Richard Rhodes’s “Hell in Good Company” was interesting, but didn’t really get into the political mess of the war. He more focused on cultural stuff like Picasso and Guernica, Hemingway and other American authors and journalists covering the war, and medical advances made from field medics that had an impact on WWII.
George Orwell’s “Homage To Catalonia” is great. It’s his firsthand account of his fighting in the war in and around Barcelona.
Gijs van Hensbergen’s “Guernica” is mostly about the Picasso painting, but the first few chapters include an account of the bombing of the city.
These are the ones I read (or attempted to read) when I fell into the rabbit hole of learning about the conflict. It’s so complicated and brutal, and strange in how it fits into the context of pre-WWII Europe and pre-Cold War.
I would recommend this one (sorry but there’s not a Wikipedia link in English)
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_sangre_y_fuego._H%C3%A9roes,_bestias_y_m%C3%A1rtires_de_Espa%C3%B1a
C J Sansom’s Winter in Madrid is an amazing depiction of this period in Spain. Be warned, it made me ugly cry on a crowded train 🤦🏻♀️