No one is better qualified than Peter Neil Carroll to write a book of memorial poems about the valiant men and women who volunteered for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade to fight the fascists in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939.
Fascism is, arguably, the application of colonial violence to the imperial core. Franco implemented what he had learnt during the colonial conflict in the civil war.
40,000 mostly young leftists from 50 countries joined in the military effort to defend democracy. Some 3,000 Americans traveled to Spain to fight fascism. They became known as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
Judith Berlowitz’s historical novel offers readers a peek into the Spanish Civil War and the idealism that brought people from across the globe together to fight for democratic governance and human rights.
Hemingway, Orwell and a host of others have written gainfully on the International Brigades’ resistance to Spanish Fascism. The book under review, based on extensive interviews and deep research, is considered by the reviewer to be the masterwork.
Published by Viking Press in 1936, the release of Ferdinand came during the era of the Great Depression. That year also saw the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. In light of these events, Ferdinand started to take on a much greater significance. Ferdinand, the bull presented a Spanish character who stood out from society and refused to fight. Those who supported the violent uprising that was led by Francisco Franco viewed it as pacifist propaganda and they banned its publication.
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