A review by savaging
La colmena by Camilo José Cela

2.0

Probably I just don't know Spanish well enough to read a novel with over 300 characters. Camilo Jose Cela can tease out the humanity in the very poor and reveal the ugliness of the powerful. And yet all the same the man was loyal to Franco, and spied on dissident groups for the secret police. I'll be the first to say an author's personal life shouldn't matter, but being a rat for fascists is about as egregious of a thing as you can do to your companeros.