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…
