Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Brilliant, 6 Dec 2006
This book is truly essential reading for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War, or for that matter anyone with an interest in war, Communism, Socialism, Anarchism or in Literature. Orwell's account of the Spanish Civil War is more than just a brilliant account of life in a civil war, it is a first hand account of the horrors of Stalinism, and Orwell's experiences in Spain explain why he later wrote his best known works, 1984 and Animal Farm, to warn of the dangers which he knew so well.
The book starts out recounting Orwell's experiences of arriving in Spain as an eager volunteer wanting to help fight Fascism. He is shocked to discover the disorganisation and inefficiency of the Republican militias. The book then goes on to give a telling account of the boredom of trench warfare, where the naïve Orwell wants to be able to kill at least one Fascist to do his part in the struggle for freedom, but ends up mainly having to contend with lice, rats and the freezing weather.
This alone might make for an interesting read, but the book really comes into its own in the latter chapters, where Orwell describes the struggle going on within the Republican controlled region of Spain. A wounded Orwell returns to Barcelona, where the Stalinists who have seized control of the government turn on their political rivals. Orwell is well placed to describe the May fighting between the Stalinist police who wish to enforce state control and the idealistic anarchists who want to defend their revolutionary gains.
Following the government victory, Orwell's small political party the POUM is made a scapegoat for the fighting and is outlawed. A stunned Orwell is forced to go on the run from the very Republic for which he had been so willing to risk his life. This makes for a damning indictment of totalitarianism that is still capable of gripping and infuriating the reader generations after the events described. Orwell shows that he is one of the finest writers in the English language, and this is probably his finest work, deserving to be read by all.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why did it take me 31 years to read this, 24 July 2003
No, I am not that slow a reader. I have a confession. I tend to prefer fiction, am sceptical about autobiographies and cringe at travelogues. Quite simply I nearly fell off my perch reading this book. I picked up Homage to Catalonia after reading Anthony Beevors history of the Spanish Civil War. I cannot emphasise how much enjoyed these books. Beevor is interesting and educational...I learnt a lot. Orwell...wow! Lucid, vivid, charmingly naive (and aware of it). Ultimately beautiful. Ever wonder why Barcelona has Placa George Orwell? Read this an find out. Read this book to find out what REAL anarchists stand for (actually read both Orwell and Beevor.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great edition of a fantastic book, 29 Mar 2004
Though best remembered for his novels ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four,’ most of Orwell’s early work was documentary, rooted in his life and experiences. These works cannot necessarily be taken at face value, however, as Orwell often flavored his accounts with fictionalized exaggerations in order to convey the essential truths that he encountered. ‘Homage to Catalonia,’ Orwell’s account of his experiences fighting with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, is the most accurate of these works. Though many will read it seeking signs of his later work, it deserves to be appreciated in its own right for its engrossing depiction of Orwell’s time in combat and for his insights into the Republican political scene.This book, part of the ‘Complete Works of George Orwell’ series edited by Peter Davison, offers more than Orwell’s narrative, though. Davison has reconstructed the book based on Orwell’s notes and provided a brief recounting of its publication history, as well as notes regarding variations in earlier texts. The result is to provide a window not just into Orwell’s time in Spain but into how he wrote about it as well, making this the definitive edition for students of this great twentieth century writer.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by George Orwell
by George Orwell
by George Orwell
by George Orwell
by George Orwell
