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| Homage to Catalonia | 
 enlarge | Author: George Orwell
Publisher: Harvest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $6.94
You Save: $7.06 (50%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $6.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  (93 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11085
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 232
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 0156421178
Dewey Decimal Number: 946.081
EAN: 9780156421171
ASIN: 0156421178
Publication Date: October 22, 1980
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 War, famine, Comedy May 17, 2008
Homage to Catalonia This book is a great read for anyone out there who likes to read. I normally don't read nonfiction books but this one kept my interest throughout the entire book. Orwell describes things in a way that kept my attention the entire time. He even added some selected humour throughout which seemed to lighten the mood. Overall this is a great book that's worth every penny. I'd say go and read it right now if you're looking for a great read.
If It Weren't Orwell, It Would Be Five Stars April 19, 2008
This is one of the most complete and well-thought-out reports of the Spanish Civil War written in the English language. Considering the importance of international fighters in the war (debatable, but certainly in a political sense, noteworthy), and the effect of the war on socialist myth in the latter half of the 20th century, it is a book not to be missed by anyone interested in either World War II, modern socialism, communism, and/or anarchy, Spain, or George Orwell.
The personal narrative was wonderful and typically vivid Orwell. His complaints about the politics going on behind the scenes, however, were sometimes dull. He admits (repeatedly) that he is biased and perhaps does not know all of what is going on. However, after reading _The Battle for Spain_, I got the sense that his complaining was actually very revealing from an historical perspective.
I read _Homage to Catalonia_ and then _The Battle for Spain_ to get a basic idea about the Spanish Civil War, which I had previously known mainly through punk-rock songs and revolutionary anthem anthologies. I wish I had read them the other way around, though. Although I think this book is indispensable for English-speaking people to understand the Spanish Civil War, it is also a narrow view and very biased (as most works on the subject are). If it were anyone else, my expectations would be lower and I would probably have given it five stars. But compared to other Orwell works (including _Down and Out_) I would give it four.
 Homage to Catalonia April 3, 2008
A European with some sense of history (i.e. the preconditions of our present life) cannot do without reading this book.
Homage to Catalonia: Reality Swats Myth November 30, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Spanish Civil War has long been a myth-like legend of the inherent good in man unifying to fight against the inherent evil. Orwell exposes how the petty impulses of humanity undermined the leftist coalition of communists and anarchists, leading to internecine struggles which brought ideological cousins to take the blood of one another, something that history shows to have led to the defeat of the Spanish resistance to fascism and the rise of Franco's state. It is a lesson that should be learned by today's leftists who neurotically mimic the same stupidity, pitting Trotskyists against Stalinists, and Communists against Anarchists. Historically, the greatest enemy of the far left has been the far left itself. Perhaps if more leftists read this book, they would resist these petty impulses?
Orwell's book is clearly written and conveys with clarity the images of war and human folly. It is a moving story of personal sacrifice and disappointment. It proved to be as prophetic about the future of Europe as 1984 proved to be prophetic about our own time. I would recommend this book for all ages.
Against the war... any kind of war. August 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Maybe the best plea against _any_ type of war. I recommend it strongly to everyone.
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