In this series we have republished a cluster of amazing memoirs by English-speaking people who had direct experience of Spain during the 1930s, all of which had been long since out of print. We are now working with several leading historians to bring to print previously unpublished memoirs by others who engaged in various ways in defending the Spanish Republic while Europe’s democracies turned a blind eye, and other related historical research:
JUST OUT! New edition of Angela Jackson’s classic study British Women and the Spanish Civil War.
Firing a Shot for Freedom, The Memoirs of Frida Stewart, with a Foreword and Afterword by Angela Jackson: Frida Stewart was a graduate of the Royal College of Music who became involved with Aid for Spain during the Civil War and ended up driving an ambulance out to Murcia. She went on to Madrid where she worked for the Republican Press Office, visiting the front and “firing a shot for freedom”. She was later in France when the Nazis invaded and was imprisoned in an internment camp, from which she escaped with a friend. This is her story, described by Paul Preston as “an utterly riveting and deeply moving memoir . . .”
Boadilla, by Esmond Romilly: The nephew that Winston Churchill disowned describes his experiences fighting with the International Brigade in the Battle of Madrid. Written on his honeymoon in St. Jean de Luz after he eloped with Jessica Mitford.
My House in Málaga by Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell: While most ex-pats fled to Gibraltar in 1936, Sir Peter stayed on to protect his house and servants from the fascist insurgents. He ended up in prison for sheltering Arthur Koestler from Franco’s rabid head of propaganda, who had threatened to “shoot him like a dog”.
Spanish Portrait by Elizabeth Lake: A brutally honest, semi-autobiographical novel set in San Sebastián and Madrid between 1934 and 1936, portraying a frantic love affair against a background of apprehension and confusion as Spain drifted inexorably towards civil war.
Some Still Live by F.G. Tinker Jr: Tinker was a US pilot who signed up with the Republican forces because he didn’t like Mussolini. He was also attracted by the prospect of adventure and a generous pay cheque. This is an account of his experiences in Spain.
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The Yocci Well by Juana Manuela Gorriti, a brilliant novella by a 19th century Argentine proto-feminist: a love story, ghost story and gothic horror rolled into one, the action spans 25 years, encompassing the Argentine War of Independence and the brutal civil wars that followed. Published now for the first time in English.*** Also Note ***
Coming soon from the Manchester University Press: Following Franco: Spanish Culture and Politics in Transition “Duncan Wheeler’s fascinating, utterly original and endlessly entertaining book is one of the best introductions imaginable to a story as murky as it is uplifting.” – Paul Preston
