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tristansreadingmania's review against another edition
4.0
* Read from the collection [b:Homage to Catalonia / Down and Out in Paris and London|7802296|Homage to Catalonia / Down and Out in Paris and London|George Orwell|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1348669988s/7802296.jpg|10788865]*
It's slightly odd that today is the day that I finished Orwell's memoir of his service in the P.O.U.M. militia during the Spanish civil war (1936-1939). For it was on this day, the 20th of May, that Orwell was famously shot in the neck by a fascist sniper. I came across this little factoid during some personal research into the book and its history, so it was absolutely unplanned. Anyway, of course Orwell survived, and was able to furnish us with his unique remembrance of the conflict.
Firstly, this wasn't what I expected it to be. Of course, there are the vivid accounts of military life on the front. The deprivation, the dirtiness ( in its many expressions), the long stretches of boredom interspersed with the occasional, brief flashes of intensity, the seeming futilty of the enterprise. All familiar trademarks of the 20th century war memoir. It was my - wrongful, I found out- understanding it was purely that.
Orwell adds to this the political dimension, which is a crucial aspect of the book. He describes the variety of factions involved, the confusion resulting from that, the ignominious betrayal of the P.O.U.M. by ersthwile allies, and so on. While initially rather overwhelming - which Orwell himself admits to - it is vital to our understanding of the procession of events. At the time, such an elaboration was also badly needed because of the misinformation/propaganda surrounding the conflict. Now, it is naturally rather dated and narrow in its presentation of facts, so for a broad overview a modern historical work would serve the interested reader better. But again, this is not the function of a memoir.
Ultimately, Homage to Catalonia exemplifies the traits Orwell displays so well in all his work, and reiterates why he is still so admired by both sides of the political spectrum. The earnest search for truth, the clear, deceptively simplistic prose, the compassion, and above all, the indomitable belief in the goodness of man.
It's slightly odd that today is the day that I finished Orwell's memoir of his service in the P.O.U.M. militia during the Spanish civil war (1936-1939). For it was on this day, the 20th of May, that Orwell was famously shot in the neck by a fascist sniper. I came across this little factoid during some personal research into the book and its history, so it was absolutely unplanned. Anyway, of course Orwell survived, and was able to furnish us with his unique remembrance of the conflict.
Firstly, this wasn't what I expected it to be. Of course, there are the vivid accounts of military life on the front. The deprivation, the dirtiness ( in its many expressions), the long stretches of boredom interspersed with the occasional, brief flashes of intensity, the seeming futilty of the enterprise. All familiar trademarks of the 20th century war memoir. It was my - wrongful, I found out- understanding it was purely that.
Orwell adds to this the political dimension, which is a crucial aspect of the book. He describes the variety of factions involved, the confusion resulting from that, the ignominious betrayal of the P.O.U.M. by ersthwile allies, and so on. While initially rather overwhelming - which Orwell himself admits to - it is vital to our understanding of the procession of events. At the time, such an elaboration was also badly needed because of the misinformation/propaganda surrounding the conflict. Now, it is naturally rather dated and narrow in its presentation of facts, so for a broad overview a modern historical work would serve the interested reader better. But again, this is not the function of a memoir.
Ultimately, Homage to Catalonia exemplifies the traits Orwell displays so well in all his work, and reiterates why he is still so admired by both sides of the political spectrum. The earnest search for truth, the clear, deceptively simplistic prose, the compassion, and above all, the indomitable belief in the goodness of man.
wietse111's review against another edition
4.0
Erg leuk boekje. Orwell beschrijft zijn ervaringen in de Spaanse burgeroorlog. Van de condities aan het front (koud, saai en met te weinig sigaretten), maar het interessantste is zijn idealistische en later steeds gedesillusioneerdere beschrijving van revolutionair Spanje. Geen idee wat ervan waar is, maar hoewel het in het boek al achteruit gaat en achteraf gezien gruwelijk mislukt is, toch inspirerend. Verder kan Orwell gewoon goed schrijven. Mooie zinnen enzo.
daja57's review against another edition
5.0
George Orwell's account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War was written in 1938, before the final victory of the Fascists under Franco, so it is necessarily incomplete. But this doesn't matter. It isn't an attempt at history. It is a very visceral account of fighting in a war. It starts with his experiences as a dreadfully ill-equipped militiaman in the trenches following which he goes on leave to Barcelona only to be caught up in street fighting when the different anti-Fascist factions decide to fight among themselves; finally he has to escape from Spain after the socialist organisation with whom he has enlisted are proscribed.
It's an enthralling read. He has passages in which he describes aspects of his experience in which his adjectives are perfectly chosen:
"My memories of that part of the war - the red flags in Barcelona, the gaunt trains full of shabby soldiers creeping to the front, the grey war-stricken towns further up the line, the muddy, ice-cold trenches in the mountains." (Ch 1): Gaunt trains: wow!
"the atmosphere of that time ... is all bound up with the winter cold, the ragged uniforms of the militiamen, the oval Spanish faces, the Morse-like tapping of machine-guns, the smells of urine and rotting bread, the tinny taste of bean-stews wolfed hurriedly out of unclean pannikins." (Ch 6)
"Down here it was still the England I had known in my childhood: the railway-cuttings smothered in wild flowers, the deep meadows where the great shining horses browse and meditate, the slow-moving streams bordered with willows, the green bosoms of the elms, the larkspurs in the cottage gardens; and then the huge peaceful wilderness of outer London, the barges on the miry river, the familiar streets, the posters telling of cricket matches and Royal weddings, the men in bowler hats, the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the red buses, the blue policemen - all sleeping the deep, deep sleep of England, from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the road of bombs." (Ch 12) Final words. I adore the horses who "browse and meditate". Brilliant!
The only difficulty I had with this book was understanding all the different factions, referred to usually by their initials. I can pardon some confusion: immediately before and during the Civil War, Spain was a chaos of competing political tendencies to the extent that in one day she had three premiers! Orwell does his best to explain things (who was POUM and PSUC and UGT and NCT etc) in Appendix I but I needed this information drip-fed to me through the text.
Nevertheless, I don't think I have ever read a book which better captures the experience of soldiering, although Laurie Lee's memoir of the Spanish Civil War A Moment of War and Joyce Cary's Memoir of the Bobotes both come close.
It's an enthralling read. He has passages in which he describes aspects of his experience in which his adjectives are perfectly chosen:
"My memories of that part of the war - the red flags in Barcelona, the gaunt trains full of shabby soldiers creeping to the front, the grey war-stricken towns further up the line, the muddy, ice-cold trenches in the mountains." (Ch 1): Gaunt trains: wow!
"the atmosphere of that time ... is all bound up with the winter cold, the ragged uniforms of the militiamen, the oval Spanish faces, the Morse-like tapping of machine-guns, the smells of urine and rotting bread, the tinny taste of bean-stews wolfed hurriedly out of unclean pannikins." (Ch 6)
"Down here it was still the England I had known in my childhood: the railway-cuttings smothered in wild flowers, the deep meadows where the great shining horses browse and meditate, the slow-moving streams bordered with willows, the green bosoms of the elms, the larkspurs in the cottage gardens; and then the huge peaceful wilderness of outer London, the barges on the miry river, the familiar streets, the posters telling of cricket matches and Royal weddings, the men in bowler hats, the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the red buses, the blue policemen - all sleeping the deep, deep sleep of England, from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the road of bombs." (Ch 12) Final words. I adore the horses who "browse and meditate". Brilliant!
The only difficulty I had with this book was understanding all the different factions, referred to usually by their initials. I can pardon some confusion: immediately before and during the Civil War, Spain was a chaos of competing political tendencies to the extent that in one day she had three premiers! Orwell does his best to explain things (who was POUM and PSUC and UGT and NCT etc) in Appendix I but I needed this information drip-fed to me through the text.
Nevertheless, I don't think I have ever read a book which better captures the experience of soldiering, although Laurie Lee's memoir of the Spanish Civil War A Moment of War and Joyce Cary's Memoir of the Bobotes both come close.
tnorthcu's review against another edition
3.0
This book is really interesting from a historical standpoint. I had a hard time understanding some of the political stuff, and he throws in a chapter here and there of just political information so I may have skimmed a little. There were a lot of groups struggling for power and I couldn't keep them all straight. Overall, I found the most interesting parts were when he was talking about his personal experiences and the conditions of being in the trenches during the war.
grahamclements's review against another edition
5.0
Homage to Catalonia is the story of George Orwell’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War. He originally went to Spain to write about the war. When he arrived in Spain it was very much run by collectives in the republican controlled territories. Labour unions controlled most of the businesses, such as transport, hotels and the telephone exchange. He loved the way the republicans attempted to treat everyone equally. It was, except for shortages of some foods, verging on what Orwell imagined as a worker’s paradise. For him, this was something worth fighting for.
Orwell joined a militia run by POUM or Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, which translates to the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification. The POUM suited Orwell’s desire to fight for an organisation whose goal was a society run by collectives where everyone’s treated equally and there is no leadership hierarchy.
Orwell tells of the complete lack of training of recruits to that militia. He had two weeks of “training” where they just marched around. They were not shown how to fight or fire a rifle. They weren’t armed until they completed their training. The weapons they received were antiquated with many not in proper working condition. But at least the militia looked respectable enough, in their mismatched uniforms, when they marched out of town to the frontlines.
His militia was positioned in the mountains on a hilltop facing off against the fascists hundreds of metres away. They were too far apart for any deadly exchanges of fire. His militia was in a holding position, used to prevent any advances from the fascists while the republican government trained an army. The fascists seemed to be concentrating on arming themselves, so they were not interested in advancing in those hills either. Because Orwell was British it was assumed he knew something about fighting, so he was made a corporal, even though he spoke little Spanish. The real dangers for Orwell and his fellow volunteers were the cold, risking inaccurate enemy fire when out scavenging for firewood and food, and being shot by their own side.
His militia was eventually moved to a position closer to the active front lines. This is where Orwell saw his first action. He appears to have been a competent soldier. He carried out orders and advanced under fire as he led his squad of soldiers, but he was an inaccurate rifle shooter, so he doubts whether he shot anyone. He did throw a bomb which he thinks killed a few of the enemy. He was not that fearful, in fact he appeared to be a bit reckless. He wanted to help defeat the fascists and stop their gradual takeover of Europe.
After a few months, he returned on leave to Barcelona where he discovered the worker’s collective was falling apart. The PSUC or Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, which translates to the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia, were trying to take control of the republican government. When Orwell arrived in Barcelona he hoped to relax with his visiting wife, instead he was caught up in a standoff in the barricaded POUM head office as the PSUC run police force threaten to storm it.
Orwell returned to the front and was seriously injured by a sniper. He was evacuated for medical treatment. Due to his injuries, he then went to Barcelona to get his military discharge papers. There he found the PSUC purging other political groups like his POUM. After close comrades of his were arrested, he decided to escape Spain rather than risk being thrown in jail and probably executed. Orwell’s wife played a pivotal role in helping both of them escape.
Homage to Catalonia was written only six months after Orwell escaped from Spain. It is obvious how his experiences in Spain influenced his later novels. His witnessing of the collapse of the worker’s collectives in Spain shows in how the pigs took control in Animal Farm. Orwell said the press was full of propaganda and lies about the war. He said that in many cases what the British press wrote had not the slightest factual truth to what was actually happening. He also noted that the left’s press in England went from “War is Hell” to “War is Glorious”. The dishonesty of the press would have influenced his Ministry of Truth in 1984. It is disquieting to think that if the bullet that hit him had been fractionally to the side, 1984, one of the most influential novels of all time, would not have been written.
Orwell says the republican’s eventually loss was not due to their infighting - which didn’t help - but due to the fascist nationalists being better armed. They were getting weapons from Germany and Italy (and troops too), while no outside government did much to support the republicans.
Homage to Catalonia is an informative, thought provoking, and entertaining read about one of the pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century. Who knows what effect it might have had on Hitler’s plans if the republicans had defeated Franco’s fascists. My respect for Orwell as a man who stood up for what he believed in increased after reading it. But, as Orwell says in the book, any personal account of a war is biased towards the experiences, knowledge and prejudices of its teller.
Orwell joined a militia run by POUM or Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, which translates to the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification. The POUM suited Orwell’s desire to fight for an organisation whose goal was a society run by collectives where everyone’s treated equally and there is no leadership hierarchy.
Orwell tells of the complete lack of training of recruits to that militia. He had two weeks of “training” where they just marched around. They were not shown how to fight or fire a rifle. They weren’t armed until they completed their training. The weapons they received were antiquated with many not in proper working condition. But at least the militia looked respectable enough, in their mismatched uniforms, when they marched out of town to the frontlines.
His militia was positioned in the mountains on a hilltop facing off against the fascists hundreds of metres away. They were too far apart for any deadly exchanges of fire. His militia was in a holding position, used to prevent any advances from the fascists while the republican government trained an army. The fascists seemed to be concentrating on arming themselves, so they were not interested in advancing in those hills either. Because Orwell was British it was assumed he knew something about fighting, so he was made a corporal, even though he spoke little Spanish. The real dangers for Orwell and his fellow volunteers were the cold, risking inaccurate enemy fire when out scavenging for firewood and food, and being shot by their own side.
His militia was eventually moved to a position closer to the active front lines. This is where Orwell saw his first action. He appears to have been a competent soldier. He carried out orders and advanced under fire as he led his squad of soldiers, but he was an inaccurate rifle shooter, so he doubts whether he shot anyone. He did throw a bomb which he thinks killed a few of the enemy. He was not that fearful, in fact he appeared to be a bit reckless. He wanted to help defeat the fascists and stop their gradual takeover of Europe.
After a few months, he returned on leave to Barcelona where he discovered the worker’s collective was falling apart. The PSUC or Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, which translates to the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia, were trying to take control of the republican government. When Orwell arrived in Barcelona he hoped to relax with his visiting wife, instead he was caught up in a standoff in the barricaded POUM head office as the PSUC run police force threaten to storm it.
Orwell returned to the front and was seriously injured by a sniper. He was evacuated for medical treatment. Due to his injuries, he then went to Barcelona to get his military discharge papers. There he found the PSUC purging other political groups like his POUM. After close comrades of his were arrested, he decided to escape Spain rather than risk being thrown in jail and probably executed. Orwell’s wife played a pivotal role in helping both of them escape.
Homage to Catalonia was written only six months after Orwell escaped from Spain. It is obvious how his experiences in Spain influenced his later novels. His witnessing of the collapse of the worker’s collectives in Spain shows in how the pigs took control in Animal Farm. Orwell said the press was full of propaganda and lies about the war. He said that in many cases what the British press wrote had not the slightest factual truth to what was actually happening. He also noted that the left’s press in England went from “War is Hell” to “War is Glorious”. The dishonesty of the press would have influenced his Ministry of Truth in 1984. It is disquieting to think that if the bullet that hit him had been fractionally to the side, 1984, one of the most influential novels of all time, would not have been written.
Orwell says the republican’s eventually loss was not due to their infighting - which didn’t help - but due to the fascist nationalists being better armed. They were getting weapons from Germany and Italy (and troops too), while no outside government did much to support the republicans.
Homage to Catalonia is an informative, thought provoking, and entertaining read about one of the pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century. Who knows what effect it might have had on Hitler’s plans if the republicans had defeated Franco’s fascists. My respect for Orwell as a man who stood up for what he believed in increased after reading it. But, as Orwell says in the book, any personal account of a war is biased towards the experiences, knowledge and prejudices of its teller.
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
4.0
'Homage to Catalonia' is George Orwell's account of his experience as a volunteer in Spanish war against Franco. The book very beautifully draws a picture of atmosphere at front during war and that of general Spain. More importantly, though it is a book on politics. The narrator has pointed out the role of press - the need for its freedom, and its power in forming public opinion. You could see how the ideas and inspiration for '1984' and 'Animal Farm' were formed.
While 1984 is dull and some people see exaggeration in it,'Homage to Catalonia' is a truthful account, down to earth and is at times even humorous.
While 1984 is dull and some people see exaggeration in it,'Homage to Catalonia' is a truthful account, down to earth and is at times even humorous.