Books about the Spanish Civil War

[Catillina]

I search for books about the Spanish Civil War, primary for romans, but Non-Fiction books are also OK.

I got "For Whom the Bell Tolls"-Hemingway, is it a good one?

Thanks for your advises comrades

Catilina

[eclipse]

think the absolute classics would be

Orwell, "Hommage to Catalonia"
Low, Brea "Red spanish notebook"

[Rakhmetov]

For a good general history of the Spanish Civil War try The Revolution and the Civil War in Spain (http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Civil-War-Spain/dp/1931859515/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279371157&sr=8-1) by Pierre Broue and Emile Temime

[Tavarisch_Mike]

I havent finished Anthony Beevors "The Spanish Civil War" but what i have read so far its good, its not so much about the politics, the revolution ore economical projects its more military orientated.

"Homage to Catalonia" by George Orwell is great, it gives a very life full eye witness portray.

There is many books about the international brigades (at least in Sweden) that are really good.

[x359594]

For novels, there is Ramon Sendar's Seven Red Sundays about the first seven weeks of the revolution, William Herrick's Hermanos! about the Abraham Linclon Battalion, Man's Hope by Andre Malraux based on his experiences as an aviator in the Republican Air Force, The Carpenter's Pencil by Manuel Rivas about a Republican doctor caught in the Nationalist zone, Sun and Shade by Maria Exposito Glass about a republican family just before, during and after the Civil War.

For general histories, the aforementioned The Revolution and Civil War in Spain by Pierre Broue and Emile Temime, Beevor's The Battle for Spain, and The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution and Revenge by Paul Preston. In my view, these are the best general histories of the Civil War.

The indespensible background book is The Spanish Labyrinth by Gerald Brennan.

Burnett Bolloten's The Spanish Revolution is 500 page study that concludes with the May Days of 1937.

Robert Alexander's The Anarchists in the Spanish Civil War is a two volume study. Jose Pierats' The Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution is an insider's critique of the CNT-FAI.

Returning to your original question about For Whom the Bell Tolls, it should be read with caution since Hemingway takes the official Communist Party line on the POUM (fascist traitors) and the anarchists (uncontrollable madmen) and only a character based on Andre Marti comes in for criticism on the Communist side. Herrick errs in the opposite direction in his Hermanos! in his denigration of the International Brigades.

Bear in mind that there are over 20,000 books dealing with the Spanish Civil War in Spanish and English alone.

[Theoneontheleft]

I would recommend these two books.

Non-Fiction:
A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War by Paul Preston

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/toppicksbooks/tp/aatpspancivilwar.htm

http://www.revleft.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=7799&stc=1&d=1280559214

Fiction:
Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/moving-novel-of-spanish-civil-war-wins-independent-fiction-prize-560565.html

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514kSxf6puL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[Nachie]

Homage to Catalonia was the book that MADE me a communist, so double recommends on top of everyone else who mentioned it.

But the single best book I've ever read about Spain? It's nonfiction, but:

http://www.borderlandsbooks.com/images/books/4068_1756.jpg

Almost never mentioned when people are talking about the subject. One of the few history books I would consider reading again!

[S.Artesian]

Felix Morrow, Revolution and Counterrevolution in Spain

[RED DAVE]

Online text Homage to Catalonia (http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0201111.txt)

RED DAVE

[x359594]

...Almost never mentioned when people are talking about the subject...

The Spanish Cockpit is indeed good and falls into the category of first hand observation. Another book of first hand observations is Red Spanish Notebook by Mary Low and Juan Brea. Low edited the POUM's English language newspaper.