Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell - Book review

The 1930s were a time of significant change. The world appeared to be going in an authoritarian direction with the establishment of the Third Reich, Japan beginning its expansionism and the great purge commencing in Russia. Many in western grew sympathetic to some of these regimes, and to some, it looked like fascism was the way to go. Tensions were high, and it appeared that the world was going to for a second time be in warfare. However, before the countries of the world could go to blows, the various ideologies of the left and right would go head to head in the land of Spain. This conflict came to be known as the Spanish civil war, and it is here where the novel homage to Catalonia takes place.

Eric Blair, more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell was initially in Spain as a journalist but was soon to get involved in the fighting. In the book, Orwell describes his experiences during the war both while he was in the trench and living in Barcelona. It also explained his motivations for fighting and the motives of those around him. The book also provides a robust portrait of the state of the far-left not only within Spain but around the world at the time. It displays how the international communist movement was more than just a bunch of Stalinist fanatics, with many of the leftist parties in Spain, correctly Catalonia adhering to their own separate variants of communism, while also criticizing and in some cases outright denouncing the USSR. At the same time, the book displayed the extent of how much influence the USSR had in the movement. With some communist parties going as far as shifting their stances on a whim to serve the geopolitical interests of the USSR. The book does an excellent job of showing that the left isn’t a monolith and that even during times of turmoil.

This book is definitely a must-read for anyone on either of the ends of the political spectrum. It shows how the various factions and parties viewed each other and the choices and compromises they made during the circumstances of the war. It shows how groups who’d bud heads would team up and also how they’d turn on each other.

For those familiar with Orwell’s other works such as Animal Farm and 1984, this book will provide context to why he wrote them the way he did. Now I’m going, being honest with all of you. For most of my time as a leftist, I was on the authoritarian side of the spectrum and, even at one point, referred to myself as a Maoist. During that period of my life, I had much disdain for Orwell and viewed him as a traitor to the left. However, after looking deeply into history and meeting leftist that wasn’t overly fond of the USSR but still strongly advocated for socialism, I decided to broaden my horizons. So I read Homage to Catalonia, and as I was reading, I began to understand why he opposed the USSR and why the events of animal farm played out the way they did. The book shows what Orwell went through and what he witnessed and how the experiences shaped the rest of his life.

Politics aside, the book also provides a first-hand account of what it is like to be in a war-torn country. The book describes the dread of enduring trench warfare and the constant shortage of goods all over the country. It even shows what it’s like to be a fugitive from the authorities.

Overall, Homage to Catalonia is an enjoyable read with interesting and relevant subject matter. The book gives a first-hand perspective to one of the 20th centuries’ most important conflict. It is light-hearted in some moments and hard-hitting in others. Though by the end, things appear morbid, they aren’t entirely hopeless. If it were up to me, I’d have it that this book would be mandatory reading for either Junior high or university, since the concepts and subject matter in it are somewhat relevant to the modern political climate.