Homage to Catalonia

George Orwell

Should I say it is all a matter of writing style?To me, Orwell's style is unparalleled. His...more

Should I say it is all a matter of writing style?To me, Orwell's style is unparalleled. His humourous way of describing his near death experience of having being shot through a neck by a bullet remained entrenched in my mind. It taught me to take life easy because nothing is certain, not even death. Also, one gets a very different perspective, a more human one I must say, from Orwell than from the best historians on the Spanish war. People who are not acquainted well with Orwell would class him as a cynic, but I would see him as a pragmatist. He understands human nature, and therefore prefers to know people only at the surface and not deeper. The book also gives a glimpse of Spanish social life in the 1930s. In a modern city like Singapore, how I hope that, like the Spanish people, I can always say "Manana"!    hide

I read this book while I was traveling in Madrid and Barcelona. Orwell writes this book basically...more

I read this book while I was traveling in Madrid and Barcelona. Orwell writes this book basically as a reporter during the Spanish Civil War. He starts as an optimist fighting for the utopian socialist cause, and by the end he is completely disillusioned by all of the propaganda and lies spread by Franco's fascist powers. An incredible read, especially if you are in Barcelona - you can trace exactly where Orwell hid as a sniper (although he never fired a shot). All of the landmarks he describes still exist. He also does a wonderful job at describing the passion of the Catalonian people. I once read that this book is among the top ten of the most important non-fiction books ever written (along with "Gulag Archipelago" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine). I highly recommend it.    hide

While I consider myself a fan of all of Orwell's works, Homage to Catalonia holds a special place...more

While I consider myself a fan of all of Orwell's works, Homage to Catalonia holds a special place on my mantle. The story recount's the author's days as a soldier in the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War. He, as evident by the title, spent his time in Catalonia, an area of Spain especially alive with all the zeal and hope of the revolution. However, after the hardline Communist faction gains increasing power, the optimism and near utopian lifestyle of the Catalonian streets gives way to totalitarian oppression. If you wish to truly understand the Orwell who wrote 1984 and Animal Farm, you should certainly give this a read.   hide

Orwell fought on the front lines during the Spanish Civil War with the socialists as an...more

Orwell fought on the front lines during the Spanish Civil War with the socialists as an international volunteer. He describes the dull life in the trenches and the horrible state of the militia he is with. He also describes the revolutionary spirit of the cities and towns he visits. But he also discusses at length the political situation of Republican Spain. The anarchists and socialists are in a constant fray with the Stalinists. Over time the latter gains more and more influence, finally declaring the other two illegal and fascist collaborators, ending all revolutionary spirit. Orwell notes well the changes in the short time he is fighting in Spain. Both with the fascists and sometimes even in the streets of Barcelona, a center of Republican Spain...   hide

George Orwell's gripping true life story of his role in the Spanish Civil war as he volunteered for...more

George Orwell's gripping true life story of his role in the Spanish Civil war as he volunteered for the leftist P.O.U.M. against Franco and the forces of Fascism for the Spanish Republic. It chronicles both his own experience and the tragic downfall of the Spanish Republic as the revolution decayed into factionalism leading to catastrophic takeover of the cause by Stalinists and its eventual defeat by the axis of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini. His experience in this ill fated conflict led him to later pen his classics Animal Farm and 1984. Contrary to popular misconception, Orwell was never anti-Socialist and remained a dedicated Social Democrat to his dying day   hide