“One of the most horrible feature of war is that all the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.” – Homage to Catalonia.
Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell’s personal account of his experiences and observations in the Spanish Civil War. In 1936 Orwell went to Spain to report on the Civil War and instead joined the fight against the Fascists. In this famous account Orwell brings to bear all the forces of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode.
Next Thursday, April 25, marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of Homage to Catalonia, which struck me as an excuse not just to reread it but to visit the city that comes alive in its pages. It is lauded as one of the great books on the reality of warfare, and the particular awfulness of fellow countrymen killing each other.
