Homenaje a Cataluña

by George Orwell

No cover — George Orwell: Homenaje a Cataluña (Spanish language, 2011, Debate)

273 pages

Spanish language

Published Jan. 14, 2011 by Debate.

ISBN:: 978-84-9992-006-1
OCLC Number:: 724666859

(6 reviews)

In 1936, George Orwell went to Spain to report on the civil war and instead joined the P.O.U.M. militia to fight against the Fascists. In this account of his experience, he describes both the bleak and the comic aspects of trench warfare on the Aragon front, the Barcelona uprising in May 1937, his nearly fatal wounding just two weeks later, and his escape from Barcelona into France after the P.O.U.M. was suppressed. As important as the story of the war itself is Orwell's analysis of why the Communist Party sabotaged the workers' revolution and branded the P.O.U.M. as Trotskyist, which provides an essential key to understanding the outcome of the war and an ironic sidelight on international Communism. It was during this period in Spain that Orwell learned for himself the nature of totalitarianism in practice, an education that laid the groundwork for his books Animal farm and 1984.

103 editions

Gerardo reviewed Homenatge a Catalunya by George Orwell

Crònica històrica z

5 stars

En aquesta obra, Orwell narra la seva experiència a la guerra civil espanyola. El va lluitar amb un un partit socialista contra el feixisme. El va estar més a la rereguarda. Va presenciar els Fets de Maig a Barcelona. Y va ser persegueix acusat de 'Trotskista'.

M'agrada la seva descripció del estat obrer, on no hi havia classes y tothom es tractava de camarada. També vaig prendre molt de polític de la guerra civil i propaganda en general. Y tot això narrat amb cert humor negre.

Gerard Mazza reviewed Homenaje a Cataluña by George Orwell

notes on 'Homage to Catalonia'

5 stars

stunning writing that gives a feeling of both trench warfare and street conflict

the book captures the joys of liberation - and how easily they can be lost

it's fascinating to see how some of Orwell's experiences and observations here come up again in '1984': a fear of rats, poor-quality tobacco falling out of cigarettes, newspapers rewriting history, worries of being informed on, and the horrors of being confined as a political prisoner

Orwell's personal bravery and dedication to goodness are also evident from this book