Giles Tremlett

This is a remarkable book, telling the story of how Spain's relatively recent past inform the nation we have come to know today. The book is written by a man who's a journalist more than he's an historian, so he has dug around to find witnesses of the Civil War and of Franco's regime, to provide a vivid and disturbing picture of that era. He tackles other themes with equal vigour: nationalism in the Basque Country, in Catalonia, and the lack of such a movement in Galicia. Flamenco turns out not to be simply a rhythmic crowd-pleaser. Mass tourism. The family. The historically rich religious mix of the peninsula. The author is someone who loves Spain and has made it his home.

I finished the book with a far greater understanding of the country I am beginning to know through my daughter living there. It's given me a base from which I can continue to deepen my understanding of this complex and charismatic nation.… (mere)

This tome has been something I've intended to read since it was published, when I could find the time. Well, the time finally came and I'm very impressed with Tremlett's work, with a few caveats. While political and military issues are dealt with, this is really a social history of the brigades, as Tremlett writes in short, crisp, chapters, and he usually has a good collection of anecdotes upon which to gild each way station of the path of the brigades, from glorious defenders of Madrid, to the sweepings of a broken force abandoning the wreck of the Spanish Republic.

If nothing else, the author wants to emphasize that this force was not really a "Comintern army," but a band of anti-fascists who were anything but "premature" in taking up arms against the looming menace; even if they somewhat fell into the nets of the Stalinist menace. One of the most interesting points of Tremlett's narrative is the varied ways the survivors kept on fighting, and were actually a future elite in many countries, such as the DDR and Tito's Yugoslavia. That enough survivors lived long enough to be honored by the modern Spanish republic is testament to their legacy.

So, as for my caveats, one would hope with as long as a book as this is, you could read it as a history of the Spanish Civil War in total, but the story of the war, and Tremlett's history of the brigades aren't congruent enough for that. Also, though Tremlett is a good military historian, a little more nuts-and-bolts history might be necessary for the casual reader to appreciate what's going on. In the first case, one might want to have first read Anthony Beevor's second edition of "The Battle for Spain." In the second case, Osprey Publishing has brought out a number of relevant booklets on this conflict over the years, and I think that, in particular, Ken Bradley's "International Brigades in Spain 1936-39" holds up quite well; even though it was published in 1994.… (mere)

4.5 stars actually. I can’t give it 5 because couple of chapters were quite difficult to wade through. I finished the book in several takes, first two being botched by these unfortunate chapters. I mean I’m not interested in flamenco or construction boom and ensuing machinations. However even in these cases I learned something curious, for example about larger than life cult singer I’ve never heard of - Camarón de la Isla. I persevered and was ultimately rewarded with excellent insights which only keen eye of a totally submersed observer could detect and relay to reader. Chapter on Basque country provides enough information and narrative to save you from reading a whole book on this matter (in my case it was Mark Kurlansky’s one). Galicia and Catalonia chapters are really good too.

It is a good example of being rewarded for the effort of reading: you trudge through 1-2-3 chapters, wavering to give up and then “BANG”: half a page of valuable and absolutely fascinating information few of your friends ever heard of.
… (mere)

Excerpt from longer article:
Timely Take-aways for Life-Long Learning: History of Place
Whether exploring the history of remote mountain regions or telling the story of a city through its people, these new works of nonfiction explore how five places around the world evolved over time.
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España : A Brief History of Spain
Giles Tremlett, Sept 2022, Bloomsbury Publishing, an imprint of Macmillan
Themes: History, Europe, Western
From prehistoric times to today, readers explore the geographic, cultural, and political history of Spain along with its relationship with people and lands nearby. Stunning photographs and illustrations bring the place and international history to life.
Take-aways: Educators will find the book’s approach useful as they think about interesting ways to present international history.… (mere)