I read Homage to Catalonia as a buddy read over at the Shine & Shadow group, and I'm very happy to have read it. I've never really gotten into George Orwell much, not having read 1984 or Animal Farm even. I know, what were my English teachers back in the day thinking, making me read Mrs. Dalloway instead?

So "Homage" is Orwell's memoir of his seven months or so during 1936 and 1937 spent fighting against the fascist dictator Francisco Franco on the revolutionary side, specifically a party known as the POUM. The revolutionary side fighting Franco were a motley collection of radicals, different political parties of anarchists, socialists, and communists, and many of them will be ultimately betrayed by the communists who will chose to side with upper class bourgeoisie for expediency's sake.

The ending of the memoir, where Orwell's bitterness towards the events, the death of his friend in jail, his view of the injustice and the twisted press reporting, are heart tugging. But it is really, for me at least, his portrayal of life in the militia, of the struggles of life in war, and his dark sense of humor, that really got to me. I've marked up so many passages in the book that sometimes I felt as if I were highlighting the entire book!

I am now an official fan of George Orwell, thanks to this memoir.

A list of my favorite lines, because I want to remember them here:

"All foreigners alike are appalled by their inefficiency, above all their maddening unpunctuality. The one Spanish word that no foreigner can avoid learning is mañana - 'tomorrow (literally, 'the morning'). Whenever it is conceivably possible, the business of today is put off until mañana."

---------

"In trench warfare five things are important: firewood, food, tobacco, candles, and the enemy. In winter on the Zaragoza front they were important in that order, with the enemy a bad last."

---------

"As a matter of fact, on this front and at this period of the war the real weapon was not the rifle but the megaphone. Being unable to kill your enemy you shouted at him instead."

---------

"I think the pacifists might find it helpful to illustrate their pamphlets with enlarged photographs of lice. Glory of war, indeed! In war all soldiers are lousy..."

---------

"If there is one thing I hate more than another it is a rat running over me in the darkness. However, I had the satisfaction of catching one of them a good punch that sent him flying."

---------

"The Fascists were shooting well that morning; perhaps there were German gunners on the job."

---------

"To prevent us from shooting each other in the darkness white armlets would be worn. At this moment a messenger arrived to say that there were no white armlets.
Out of the darkness a plaintive voice suggested: 'Couldn't we arrange for the Fascists to wear white armlets instead?'"

---------

"I wonder what is the appropriate first action when you come from a country at war and set foot on peaceful soil. Mine was to rush to the tobacco kiosk and buy as many cigars and cigarettes as I could stuff into my pockets. Then we all went to the buffet and had a cup of tea..."

Celebrity Death Match Special:
Homage to Catalonia versus 1984



No winner declared because match never took place

Homage To Catalonia, George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's personal account of his experiences and observations in the Spanish Civil War. The first edition was published in the United Kingdom in 1938.

The book begins in late December 1936. Orwell describes the atmosphere in Barcelona as it appears to him at this time. "The anarchists were still in virtual control of Catalonia and the revolution was still in full swing ... It was the first time that I had ever been in a town where the working class was in the saddle ... every wall was scrawled with the hammer and sickle ... every shop and café had an inscription saying that it had been collectivized."

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «درود بر کاتالونیا»، «زنده باد کاتالونیا»، «به یاد کاتالونیا»، نویسنده: جورج اورول، تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سیزدهم ماه اکتبر سال 1983میلادی

عنوان: درود بر کاتالونیا - گزارشی از جنگ داخلی اسپانیا - سال 1937میلادی؛ نویسنده: جورج اورول؛ مترجم: تورج آرامش؛ تهران، آگاه، سال1360هجری خورشیدی؛ در 236ص؛ عنوان دیگر جنگ داخلی اسپانیا - سال 1937میلادی؛ موضوع تاریخ اسپانیا جنگهای داخلی بین سالهای1936میلادی تا سال 1939میلادی، از نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م

عنوان: به یاد کاتالونیا؛ جورج اورول؛ مترجم: عزت الله فولادوند؛ تهران، خوارزمی، 1361هجری خورشیدی؛ در 293ص؛ چاپ دوم 1373؛

عنوان: زنده باد کاتالونیا؛ جورج اورول؛ مترجم: مهدی افشار؛ تهران، مجید، 1390هجری خورشیدی؛ در 285ص؛ شابک 9789644531163؛

مشاهدات «جورج اورول» از: جنگ داخلی «اسپانیا»، و خودزندگی‌نامه ی «جرج اورول»؛ در زمان جنگ داخلی اسپانیا، و درباره ی حضور میدانی ایشان در آن کارزار، و رخدادهایی ست، که برای جمهوری‌ خواهان، و آنارشیست‌های «اسپانیا»، و بویژه «کاتالونیا»، پیش آمده است

نقل از متن: (پیش گفتار: اسپانیا در آشوب جنگ داخلی: آثار جنگ جهانی اول بر اسپانیای بیطرف، آثاری فراتر از اختلال در نظم اقتصادی صرف داشت؛ پیروزی متقفین زمینه ساز دموکراسی و شکلگیری اراده ی ملی شد ــ که در عرصه «اسپانیا» به معنای خودمختاری «کاتالونیا و باسک» بود ــ آن هم در گرماگرم منازعات سیاسی.؛ «پریمو دو ریورا» دیکتاتور نظامی در پی شورش ارتش، قیام دانشجویان، و اعتصابات، از قدرت کناره گرفت، و بعد از پیروزی قاطع جمهوری خواهان در انتخابات شهرداری -آوریل 1931میلادی- شاه «آلفونسو سوم» از مقام خود خلع گردید، و جمهوری جدید زیر نظر «آلکالا زامورا» دست به اصلاحات جدی زد، زمینهای زراعی را بین کشاورزان تقسیم کرد، به «کاتالونیا» خودمختاری بخشید، کلیساها را از رونق انداخت، فرقه «ژزوئیت» را منحل کرد، و آموزشها را غیرمذهبی گرداند؛ طبعا این اقدامات با واکنش دست راستیها مواجه شد؛ اما این اصلاحات نتوانست خواسته های چپ گرایان افراطی را برآورده سازد؛ در حالیکه احزاب دست راستی، عمدتا در انتخابات پیروز شدند -1933میلادی-، دولت ناچار شد قیامهای جدایی طلبانه «کاتالونیا» را سرکوب کند -1934میلادی- و نیز دست به سرکوب طغیان معدنچیان در «آسترویاس» بزند، که یک دولت کمونیستی در آنجا شکل گرفته بود؛ پیروزی جبهه ی خلق در انتخابات فوریه 1936میلادی یک شورش نظامی را در پی آورد؛

نبرد بین ملی گرایان، یا ناسیونالیستها، با جمهوری خواهان، به پیروزی ملی گرایان منتهی شد، که به تاسیس یک دولت اشتراکی تحت امر دیکتاتوری «فرانکو سال 1939میلادی» منتهی گردید، هر چند پیش از این، او در مناطقی که از سال 1936میلادی تصرف کرده بود، اعمال قدرت میکرد؛ «فالانژ» تنها حزبی بود، که در «کاتالان -و باسک-» اجازه ی فعالیت داشت، «فرانکو» خودمختاری «کاتالونیا» را نفی کرد، و موجب شد که دیگر بار کلیسا، املاک و امتیازات خود را از دولت ادعا کند؛ به رغم آنکه نظامیان در جنگ داخلی «اسپانیا» از دول محور -فاشیستها و نازیها- حمایت میکردند، «فرانکو» در طول جنگ دوم جهانی بیطرف ماند، اگرچه به پیمان ضد «کمینترن» پیوست -آوریل 1939میلادی-؛ دیدار «هیتلر» و «فرانکو» در «هندای -اکتبر سال1940میلادی» آن نتیجه را که «هیتلر» میخواست به بار نیاورد، و «اسپانیا» به جنگ وارد نشد؛ تجربه جنگ داخلی بیش از هر چیز؛ عامل بازدارنده ای بود، که «فرانکو» در جنگ جهانی کنار «نازیها» قرار نگیرد، زیرا «فرانکو» نیاز به دوره ای از آرامش و ثبات داشت، تا بتواند رژیم خود را تثبیت کند؛

بعد از پایان گرفتن جنگ، رژیم «فرانکو» به رغم فشارهای داخلی و خارجی باقی ماند ــ این رژیم از سوی سوسیالیستها، لیبرالها و سلطنت طلبان تحت فشار بود -دون خوان که از سوی سلسله پادشاهی بوربن دعوی سلطنت داشت، از فرانکو میخواست استعفا دهد و سلطنت را به او بازگرداند- و از خارج اسپانیا نیز برای مدتی با «فرانکو» به عنوان عنصر نامطلوب در سطح بین المللی برخورد میشد.؛ در سال 1942میلادی «فرانکو» مجلس را عودت داد، اما جریانات تعاونی را بازسازی کرد؛ -در سال 1945میلادی لایحه ی حقوق مدنی به مجلس ارائه و سرانجام تصویب شد.-؛ اما دغدغه ی اصلی «فرانکو» درمان زخمهای ناشی از جنگ داخلی بود.؛ این شرایط به جهت تحریکات سلطنت طلبان، پیوسته پیچیده تر میشد ــ قانون «فرانکو» در خصوص جانشینی -1947میلادی- توسط «دون خوان» رد شد ــ حال آنکه سلطنت طلبان و جمهوری خواهان تبعیدی -بجز کمونیستها- موافقت خود را طی بیانیه ای اعلام کرده بودند.؛

مشکل جانشینی تا دهه 1950میلادی ادامه یافت.؛ «فرانکو» حاضر نشد هیچگونه تعهدی را در قبال یکی از رقبا بپذیرد -«دون خوان» دارای پسری به نام «دون خوان کارلوس» بود- اما سرانجام در سال 1969میلادی، «دون خوان»، «کارلوس» را به جانشینی خود پذیرفت.؛

در سال 1959میلادی لیبرالها و مخالفان جناح راست، اتحادیه اسپانیایی را تشکیل دادند، و در همانسال حزب دیگری با نام حزب چپ دموکرات مسیحی توسط گروه کاتولیک لیبرال شروع به فعالیت کرد.؛ از اوایل 1960میلادی کلیسا که پیش از این آوایی نداشت، ناخوشنودیهایی بالاخص در میان کشیشان جوان از خود نشان داد.؛ سیصد و بیست و جهار کشیش جوان «باسکی»، طی نامه ای به اسقفهایشان از رفتار پرخشونت و ددمنشانه نسبت به زندانیان سیاسی اعتراض کردند.؛ این اعتراض با یک رشته اعتصابات جدی همراه شد، که در سال 1962میلادی، با اعتصاب معدنچیان اوج گرفت.؛

قانون اساسی در سال 1966میلادی طی رفراندومی تصویب شد.؛ به موجب این قانون جدید، تغییرات اصولی از جمله تنوع در احزاب مجلس -برای نخستین بار از زمان جنگ داخلی- پیش بینی شده بود.؛ پس از جنگ جهانی دوم، «اسپانیا» از عضویت سازمان ملل به دستور متفقین اخراج شد، و در دسامبر 1946میلادی، سازمان از اعضای خود خواست تا رابطه ی دیپلماتیک خود را، با آن کشور قطع کند.؛ تشدید جنگ سرد که بین دو بلوک شرق و غرب پدید آمده بود، «اسپانیا» را از انزوای بین المللی خارج گرداند -1950میلادی- و در سال 1955میلادی «اسپانیا» مجددا به عضویت سازمان ملل پذیرفته شد.؛ در سپتامبر 1953میلادی در پی انعقاد پیمانی بین اسپانیا و ایالات متحده، این کشور حق تاسیس پایگاههای هوایی و دریایی در قلمرو اسپانیا را به دست آورد و در مقابل آمریکا متعهد شد که اسپانیا را از نظر نظامی و اقتصادی یاری دهد و این پیمان در سال 1964میلادی در پی برقراری مناسبات خارجی با کوبا قطع شد)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 20/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 23/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Disfruté y aprendí mucho sobre la Guerra Civil Española con esta novela.
Me gustó mucho.

I enjoyed and learned a lot about the Spanish Civil War with this novel.
I really liked it.

31st book of 2021

n  “If you had asked me why I had joined the militia I should have answered: 'To fight against Fascism,' and if you had asked me what I was fighting for, I should have answered: 'Common decency.”n



Homage to Catalonia is everything I expected it to be, and more. This is my fourth Orwell and my second foray into his non-fiction work, my first being the groundbreaking Down and Out (of which I'm meditating on upgrading its rating to a 5-star) and I was eager for more. I consider Orwell to be one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century - as is shown in his most famous works Animal Farm and especially in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but he was also one of the best writers. Both of Orwell's acknowledged masterpieces are fantastically well written, and are the epitome of his writing career; the last 2 books he ever wrote (1944-5 and 1948-9 respectively). Homage was written several years before, on Orwell's coming from Catalonia serving as a volunteer in a Trotskyist militia group; obviously fighting for the Republic and against Franco. This great non-fiction book deals with a few events of the Spanish Civil War while he served there, that is from December 1936 to July 1937; when he had to flee back to England for he had been shot through the throat (and miraculously survived) and because the political faction militia he had fought with, had been made illegal under false evidence of a "fascist plot".

Orwell's depiction of the action is flawlessly put forwards, and even though as he clears, the information might not be fully veridic, I believe he gave quite a faithful account considering the confusion of the time. Nevertheless, he only served in a not-so-eventful front; Orwell expresses with disappointment the racket the whole war was. The social commentary is brilliant (I mean it's Orwell!), and this time not dealing as much with poverty and class stigma (though these themes do get their share), this book interprets the divisions within the Left-wing forces of the war, these being the reason Franco actually won the war; the eternal struggle between Communists (not in favour of a Revolution, because of the USSR's interests), Anarchists (who were in favour of a classless social state based on equality of classes, and as Orwell portrays in the first chapter of this book, they almost reached), Socialists (more moderate and not nearly as present in neither Catalonia nor in this book) and a small group of Trotskyists (where he was enlisted: pro-revolution, but looking rather maintain a democracy of sorts). Whilst, there were no great schisms inside the Nationalist Army and the right-wing block.

All of what happens to Orwell is certainly interesting, very engaging and fabulously written, but, the best parts of this book are the two Appendixes, Chapters V and XI originally. The first one talks of the schisms in the Republican Army and the different parties in the left-winged block and their strife, while the second talks of the Communist Party censoring all the press and finally making the POUM illegal (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista - Worker's Party of Marxist Unification), many of Orwell's comrades being arrested and executed and him being sort of on the run.

Though told from a very narrow perspective, the delivery of this book is topnotch and made me change the way I regarded the whole conflict -- which is what I was looking for on reading Homage. It is great fun, and I highly suggest you read it. It is not a great effort, but I, as a Spaniard certainly approve of this book -- Bravo Orwell! You yet have failed to disappoint me. My next will probably be one of his obscure early novels, I'm especially keen on Keep the Aspidistra Flying.

Final Thought: This should be a compulsory read in Spanish high schools

“One of the most horrible features of war is that all the war propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.”



n  B /B+n

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell is about the author's experiences in 1936 Spain where he went in order to report on the Civil War there. Instead of reporting he joined the fight against the Fascists. This famous account describes the war and Orwell’s own experiences. Introduction by Lionel Trilling. These experiences contributed to his writing of his novel 1984 that he published in 1949.

A re-read for me of a book I first read in my early twenties. I recall it made a big impression on me at the time, due to its description of the infighting on the Government side during the Spanish Civil War.

Orwell was in his thirties when he went to Barcelona and had already been everything from a Police Superintendent in colonial Burma to a tramp sleeping rough back in Britain. You couldn’t say he was lacking in knowledge of life, but he arrived in Spain with an idealistic impression of a war where “the rights and wrongs had been so beautifully simple.” Orwell joined the militia of a small Marxist party which went by the acronym POUM. Initially Orwell had no particular leaning towards the POUM as opposed to any other Marxist group. He joined them because he arrived in Barcelona with letters of recommendation from the Independent Labour Party in Britain, who happened to be affiliated with the POUM. At this stage he thought that the communists, the anarchists and the POUM were separated only by minor differences over tactics.

Orwell’s time at the front was during a period of static trench warfare, where the troops spent their time combating hunger, cold and lice more than they did the enemy. He only took part in one incident of hand-to hand fighting, when his unit was involved in a diversionary attack. As he says himself, that occasion was “one too many.”

The core of this book though, is the brutal suppression of the POUM by the rival PSUC – the Socialist Unity Party of Catalonia, which took its orders from the USSR, as well what Orwell sees as the suppression of the workers’ revolution in Catalonia by pro-Stalinist factions. To justify their actions, the Communists portrayed the POUM as disguised fascists in the pay of Franco and Hitler, pretend revolutionaries who were really aiding the Fascist cause. This absurd story was repeated across the world by pro-communist journalists. It’s clear that these events had a major bearing on Orwell’s later literature, particularly in “1984” where what was reported was always the opposite of the truth. As Orwell puts it:

“It is not a nice thing to see a Spanish boy of fifteen carried down the line on a stretcher, with a dazed white face looking out from among the blankets, and to think of the sleek persons in London and Paris who are writing pamphlets to prove that this boy is a Fascist in disguise.”

Orwell manged to escape across the border to France, but his commanding officer, a Belgian named Georges Kopp, was arrested as was Bob Smillie, one of Orwell’s close friends. Smillie was a 22-year old from Central Scotland who died in prison in Valencia. At the time of writing, Orwell didn’t know how Smillie had died, but later research has suggested he was beaten to death. He also comments on the dreadful fate of the German and Italian volunteers within the POUM. They had fled fascism in their own countries, and had nowhere to go to escape their Communist persecutors.

Several chapters in the book contain detailed descriptions of the various parties on the Republican side in the War, and Orwell’s assessment of the merits of their political positions. He senses himself that this might be turgid stuff for many and advises readers they can skip these chapters if they want. He’s reflective enough also to admit that his account of the war is partisan.

For me, this is a book primarily about disappointed idealism, and how Orwell came to terms with that.

"Çarpışıp da yenilmenin, hiç savaşmamaktan daha iyi sonuç verdiği örnekler vardır."(s.175)

Orwell left England in 1936 and spend six months fighting fascism in Spain - actually fighting fascism, like, throwing grenades and living in trenches, and being shot at, and crawling across 'no man's land' in the mud. He was a member of P.O.U.M., 'Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista', or the Workers Party of Marxist Unification. Orwell was not a Marxist, but a strident opponent of Franco's fascist forces. The book, like his 'Road to Wigan Pier', is a collection of Orwell's observations told in his always clear, frank and honest style, which reflect his admirable morals, common decency and pragmatic political views.

A passage near the end exemplifies this: "Curiously enough the whole experience has left me with not less but more belief in the decency of human beings. And I hope the account I have given is not misleading. I believe that on such an issue as this no one is or can be completely truthful. It is difficult to be certain about anything except what you have seen with your own eyes, and consciously or unconsciously everyone writes as a partisan. In case I have not said this somewhere earlier in the book I will say it now: beware of my partisanship, my mistakes of fact and the distortion inevitable caused by my having seen only one corner of events. And beware of exactly the same things when you read any other book on this period of the Spanish war."

It's both difficult and unnecessary to chose the best from among the Orwell canon, as the books are so different and always of such a high quality, but 'Homage to Catalonia' is essential and engrossing reading for any Orwell enthusiast, aspiring journalist, or student of 20th century conflict.

George Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War,as part of the militia of a party,the P.O.U.M.

Ironically,the party was later declared illegal and after all his struggles on its behalf,Orwell had to flee Spain eventually,to avoid being imprisoned.

While Orwell,a foreigner,was taking such risks with his life in the war,a lot of people and places in Spain remained unaffected.As to why he was fighting in the war,Orwell gives his reason as "common decency."

The best part of the book describes the conditions of trench warfare on the Aragon front.Conditions resembled those of World War I.The trenches had plenty of filth and rats.

It was very cold and the soldiers were lousy,with the lice rapidly mutilplying.Then, there was the lack of sleep.

The weapons were antiquated and there was very little ammunition.Boys of fifteen were being used as soldiers.

Later,Orwell would go to other areas and watch street fighting and began to think of it as a futile period.Finally,he was shot through the neck.

He temporarily lost his voice,thought he was going to die,but miraculously survived and even recovered the use of his voice.The bullet injury got him discharged from the militia as he was declared "useless."

But even when he finally got out of Spain,he found his personal freedom boring and kept wondering if it wouldn't have been more interesting to be imprisoned in a Spanish jail !

When Orwell finally finished writing Homage to Catolonia,his publisher refused to publish it.He found another publisher but it hardly made an impact,selling just 900 copies.

I found it a mixed bag,Orwell's personal war experiences are interesting and large parts of the book focusing on the politics of Spain are fairly boring.

Despite all the trouble he endured,Orwell seems only mildly disillusioned by the war.As wounded men go back and fresh men take their place,he still looks at war as something glorious.

I admire Orwell as an author,but I don't admire him for taking part in this distant war and trying his level best to get himself killed.

Omaggio alla Catalogna è un reportage giornalistico personale, sulla guerra civile spagnola degli anni '30 del Novecento. George Orwell leggeva spesso della situazione in Spagna e voleva saperne di più, così decise di andare in prima persona a vivere quegli avvenimenti e cercare di capirne il più possibile. Opposizione all'avvento del fascismo di Franco, voglia di uguaglianza e giustizia, la rivoluzione era lì e scoppio e...

Orwell qui, si fa narratore in prima persona, della sua personale partecipazione alla guerra civile spagnola. Con una scrittura densa di riflessioni sociali e politiche, ma anche filosofiche sul significato più intimo di libertà, di espressione, di pensiero e soprattutto di quella brama di uguaglianza tra la gente, contro l'imborghesimento della società a discapito degli operai e dei contadini, contro l'informazione falsa e propagandistica, per l'onestà più pura e genuina, contro la corruzione e la "fame" di potere e di denaro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P84-C...

This offering from Orwell left me wondering, not for the first time, why anyone would put his life on the line to fight for Spain. In Orwell's case, not only did he risk his own neck, but he had his wife tag along. Misery loves company, as they say. Wisely, the missus stayed in the rear with the gear and wasn't exposed to any more danger than, say, a wild weekend in Chicago. Come to think on it, Orwell wasn't in much danger, either. The way he tells it, the Spaniards weren't particularly scrappy and the issued armament was somewhat less than functional, so casualties were more likely to be the result of mischance rather than malevolence.

In spite of the fact that Orwell is a great writer, I was glad to finish this. The Order of Battle of the different factions arrayed against Franco is totally baffling, different ideologies arrayed against fascism. I didn't like any of them: fascists, socialists, communists, anarchists....I wanted them all to lose. Eventually the different groups started fighting each other as well and it wasn't worth the effort to try to stay ahead of it. Orwell was smart enough to see where it was going and took off at the high port, thereby avoiding a Spanish prison.

The genius of the book is that Orwell is able to impart his growing frustration to the reader; he explains how his early bloodlust turns to alarm at the living conditions at the front and the state of the equipment. Finally, the reader feels his disillusionment and dismay at the friction between the "allies".

I sat through the whole show, even reading the Appendices that Orwell tacked on at the end. The acronyms for the different factions had my head reeling: POUM, PSUC, CNT-FAI... I couldn't begin to tell you what any of them mean. On the plus side, there are a lot of nice clear glossy photos in the book to give you an idea of what things looked like in Spain in the 30s.