Franco’s body being moved today

I've only read The Thread and thought it was OK. My first thought was - having a long holiday and claiming a lot of travel and accommodation expenses against her profits. My second thought was that the research was apparent.

Thanks anno. Yes, I think I did mention earlier that the plot in The Return, about Franco in Grenada, was far fetched and very predictable. The Thread was about the persecution of Jews in Thessaloniki- and The Sunrise, about the partition of Cyprus.

I will get the book 'Birds without wings' when in the UK over Christmas, thanks.

I haven’t read that one but did read Captain Corelli’s Mandolin while holidaying on kefalonia many years ago. It has hard going in parts but I persevered and have re-read it once I saw the film.

It's undoubtedly true that Victoria Hislop does impeccable research as background to her novels, but the stories within those scenarios are often thin and the characters one-dimensional. Of all those I have read, 'The Return' had the least convincing plot and characters; the best was, perhaps, 'The Thread' but Jura, if you want to know more about the history of the expulsion of Greeks from Turkey and vice-versa, I'd recommend a much better novel, 'Birds Without Wings' by Louis de Bernieres.

Isn't it sad there so many countries out there have a history of an evil dictator? Hitler? Khmer rouge? Etc.

As I understand it from the news on Spanish TV, one of the main reasons for moving Franco's body was the stark contrast of that ostentatious mausoleum to the mass graves of 100s of unidentified Republican dead, also buried there. Another irony is that the monument was built mainly by the forced labour of Republican prisoners.
There is of course the danger of reigniting old enmities, already visible in the sudden upsurge of support for the far-right Vox party in the recent elections. The movement for Catalan independence has also contributed to this, and is sharply divisive among the actual Catalan population (not far off 50:50 - a bit like Brexit.

‘We have just had trouble in Denmark with neo-Nazis commemorating "Die Kristalnacht" by desecrating Jewish graves and sticking the Nazi "Judenstern" on mail-boxes belonging to Jewish citizens’

grim

I second ‘Winter in Madrid’.

I did Spanish O and A level and went on to do a BA and an MA. I became a teacher of Spanish too. First visited Spain in 1975 while in the Sixth Form, a month or so before Franco's death, and I was also there in 1977, when the first free elections since before the Civil War in 1936 were held. Fascinating atmosphere to say the least. In addition to the books already mentioned, I'd recommend George Orwell's 'Homage to Catalonia', Juan Benet's 'Return to Región' and Ramón J Sender's 'Requiem for a Spanish Peasant'. Laurie Lee also went to fight for the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War and wrote about it. There is still so much being discovered too.

Thanks, yes, a great book.

I remember seeing a street named " Franco" in Avila. Someone had sprayed over his name with red paint, good on them whoever it was. Franco invited the Fascist German Air Force to bomb his people during the civil war, he was a monster.

I had an uncle who fought against Franco in the Spanish revolution, basically a mercenary I have to admit. Can just about recall the tales he told of the people's suffering at that time, not that much short of 100 years ago.

I’ve just uploaded it now onto my Kindle Maw thank you for the recommendation.

Jura2 May I recommend CJ Sansom "Winter in Madrid" as a well researched and better written novel set in the same era.

This was the position 10 years ago, Lorca's remains are amongst the many unidentified. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/oct/31/spain-franco-lorca-graves

A lot of Spaniards who opposed Franco, or who are descended from those that did, feel (quite rightly IMO) that the pomp surrounding Franco's burial site is inappropriate and more sinisterly his tomb had become a rallying ground for neo-Fascists.

Unfortunately, whatever they do with Franco's remains is unlikely to stop the spread of right-wing movements, which are making themselves felt all over Europe.

We have just had trouble in Denmark with neo-Nazis commemorating "Die Kristalnacht" by desecrating Jewish graves and sticking the Nazi "Judenstern" on mail-boxes belonging to Jewish citizens.

I feel it is now all who oppose Fascism, Nazis etc. need to speak up.

This is the Wikipedia entry for the Spanish poet Lorca:
'García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a group consisting of mostly poets who introduced the tenets of European movements He was executed by Rebel faction forces at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. His body or bones have never been found'.

So sad, that last sentence. Maybe one day...

Can’t people be cruel to one another? So sad what some people have to endure during their short visit called life.
?

Maw ''Sorry Jura but Victoria Hislop does not write great novels ! Pleasant enough paperback reads for the train or for a holiday, which can be thrown away to save on the baggage allowance, but even The Island was underwhelming!''

a matter of personal taste. I have personally learnt a lot about the history of the persecution of Jews in Thessaloniki, the partition of Cyprus, the persecution of Gipsies in Franco's Spain, the leper colonies of Crete, and more- thanks to VH's novels- which I would probably have not become aware of otherwise.

Re Catalan suppression- this happened in France too in the Perpignan South West region. My friend says her grandparents were not allowed to speak catalan at home, their native tongue, and kids were beaten and tied up at school if they were caught speaking catalan.

My family has links back to Barcelona & some of my mother's 2nd cousins lived there when I was young. I spent a lot of time there when I was young & I know his name was never mentioned- the main road through the city was always called El Diagonal instead of Avenida de Generalissimo Franco by locals.
I know how much this news would have meant to them. The people of Catalonia suffered badly as did the Basques. It is not such ancient history after all & still very raw in some memories.

Thanks Mag

@suziewoozie,@pantglas2, I've just started reading 'Ghosts of Spain' by Giles Tremlett that covers that period. Shocking what went on!

I honestly think there is no defence for the fact that Franco was a dictator for 40 years. There is never an excuse for this.

When Franco was in dictatorship they were only allowed to speak castilliano . So the small village i lived in spain where staunch valenciano . Being they were not allowed to speak it when Franco was around . My children were taught in it too .

My first father in law was Spanish. He'd babble away to me before I had learned enough to follow him. But he always ended up yelling BOOM and laughing hysterically