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Homage to Catalonia (Penguin Modern Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: George Orwell
Creator: Julian Symon
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
Buy New: £12.18
New (2) from £12.18
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 44767
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0141187379
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780141187372
ASIN: 0141187379
Publication Date: June 5, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Why did it take me 31 years to read this July 24, 2003
I. Brown
41 out of 44 found this review helpful
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.
Simply Brilliant December 6, 2006
Wally (England)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
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 naive 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.
Excellent insight into the spanish civil war April 15, 2001
18 out of 25 found this review helpful
Ignored by the rest of the world, due to the fact that capitalist states would neither support the communist, stalinist, fascist, or anarchist factions involved, the spanish civil bears a great historical significance. As an anarchist I read this book hoping to find out what the CNT got up to in one of anarchism's most famous trails to date. Orwell shows from an insiders view how the anarchists were under attack from all sides, and how the stalinists created another bitter war on the other side of the battleground, leading eventually to Franco's victory. The book offers a great representation of the contrasting atmosphere from the paradise in the dawn of collectivisation and equality to the sadness of loss and sectarianism created by the power hungry USSR supported stalinists. Of course this is not the main theme of the book, and you get a detailed account of Orwell's experience on the front line, as well as his time spent in an almost 1984esque fear from the autocratic forces of authoritarian statism. Quite simply, it's an extremely honest account of this period of his life, and you can draw many things from it depending on your interests, well worth the read.
A brilliant book, author and anarchist October 20, 2007
A. Tatton (stoke newington)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Orwell has been slandered slightly with the title of socialist. This book well and truly shows his colours - multicoloured of course. The book is an outstanding account and description of the Spanish Civil War, an excellent portrayal of effective anarchism in action in Barcelona in those early days, a brilliant advertisement for pacifism, and an excellent insight into the mind of someone whose lasting influnce in the world has even changed the language. Thought police, Big Brother, Room 101 - all terms inspired by true events outlined in this classic book. There's memorable glimpses into the horrors of life in war - the food shortages, rats, the seemingly-trivial issues of looking for firewood, the lack of actual fighting, but the fun and camaradery too.
There's so much in this little book - masculinity, class, war, socialism, anarchism and descriptions of the Ramblas in Barcelona that have stood the test of time.
Homage to freedom and equality March 19, 2008
Belmiro Vilela (Barcelona, Spain)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Spanish civil war is possibly, alongside the Paris Commune of 1871, the period of history I wished to have taken an active part in. George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is the best portrayal I've read so far on this period and an inspired and inspiring piece of literature. A very personal account of the war that doesn't neglect the social and political background, its implications and the influence it had on 20th century history. Ever wondered why the Spanish Civil war meant so much to so many around the world? Think you know what it really stood for? Ever questioned why the leftists (socialists, communists and anarchists) lost? Then this is the book for you.
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