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Homage to Catalonia Audiobook
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(4.20) - 10 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In 1936, George Orwell went to Spain to report on the civil war and instead joined the POUM militia to fight against the Fascists.
In this now justly famous account of his experience, he describes both the bleak and the comic aspects of trench warfare on the Aragon front, the Barcelona uprising in May 1937, his nearly fatal wounding just two weeks later, and his escape from Barcelona into France after the Party of Maxist Unification (POUM) was suppressed.
As important as the story of the war itself is Orwell’s analysis of why the Communist Party sabotaged the workers’ revolution and branded the POUM as Trotskyist, which provides an essential key to understanding the outcome of the war and an ironic sidelight on international Communism.
It was during this period in Spain that Orwell learned for himself the nature of totalitarianism in practice, an education that laid the groundwork for his great books Animal Farm and 1984.
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"As usual, Orwell uses his carefully flattened prose to examine the war and the motives behind it - not least the perfidy of the Communists, who seemed to have suppressed a real revolution out of political self-interest. And a perfect decription of the ennui of fighting. "
— Jason (4 out of 5 stars)
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”Homage to Catalonia is a triumph…Frederick Davidson makes a fine reader. He sounds convincingly as Orwell might have sounded, even to the occasional use of French-accented Spanish pronunciation…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“One of Orwell’s very best books and perhaps the best book that exists on the Spanish Civil War.”
— New Yorker -
“For a firsthand account of the Spanish Civil War, turn to George Orwell’s memoir about his six months serving on the militia…That he could have written so objective a book so soon after his almost fatal involvement in the war itself and in the partisan conflict seems miraculous.”
— New York Times -
“Clear-eyed and unflinching…At once history and a moral and imaginative experience.”
— New York Herald Tribune Book Review -
“Homage to Catalonia reminds us that Orwell was a superb journalist and reporter. Nobody has described the experience of this kind of warfare of 1914-1918, better than it is done here.”
— Julian Symons, poet, historian, and crime novelist
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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One of the National Review’s 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the Century
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New York Times Pick of Books on Catalonia's Fight for Independence
Homage to Catalonia Listener Reviews
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" An amazing book, maybe my favorite Orwell. He goes to Spain in 1936 to cover the war and instead joins the POUM militia. A book which can inspire but is also brutally honest about war and politics. Just phenomenal. "
— Paul, 4/26/2011 -
" Story about Spanish Civil War.Seeing who's the real betrayer of revolution. "
— Nami, 3/18/2011 -
" This was a required text for my twentieth century Europe class, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. Orwell gives an incredible insight into the political movements, problems with the press, and personal experiences from the front. "
— Zen, 3/1/2011 -
" A good & interesting read even if it was a little heavy at times. Worth the once over. "
— Steven, 1/25/2011
About George Orwell
George Orwell (1903–1950), the pen name of Eric Arthur Blaire, was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and literary critic. He is best known for his works of social criticism and opposition to totalitarianism. He also wrote nonfiction about his experiences in the working class and as a solder. His work remains influential in popular culture and in political culture, and the adjective “Orwellian,"describing totalitarian and authoritarian social practices, has become part of the English language. In 2008, the London Times named him the second-greatest British writer since 1945.
About Frederick Davidson
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.