Downfall of a King: Juan Carlos of Spain, by Paul Preston (William Collins, £30.00 / €35.50) Paul Preston is one of the foremost historians of modern Spain. He has written sixteen books about the history of Spain since the late 19th century, most of them describing different aspects of the Civil War. Preston, an…
El Generalísimo Franco: Power, Violence and the Quest for Greatness, by Giles Tremlett (Bloomsbury, £30 / €35.00) Giles Tremlett, who lives in Spain, has a deep understanding of that country’s past. He is the author of a remarkable account of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Here, however, moving on in time,…
Ship in Full Sail: The Laureate Lectures and Other Writings, by Colm Tóibín (Gallery Books, €16.95) Colm Tóibín may not appreciate this recommendation, but his latest collection would be a perfect Christmas present. These thirty-six articles of varying length are the collected writings from his three-year term (January 2022 – 2025) as Laureate for…
Swift Blaze of Fire – Olympian, Cleric, Brigadista: the Enigmatic Life of Robert Hilliard, by Lin Rose Clark, (Lilliput Press, €18.95 / £14.95) On February 22 1937, Reverend Robert Hilliard died of his wounds at Castellón, in eastern Spain. It was a singular end to the life of a remarkable Church of Ireland clergyman. There…