Franco’s body being moved today

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!

My father Juan Taule, was a Catalan, he fought in the Spanish civil war as a republican. He would have danced on Franco's grave if he had the chance. He gave his country, his family and his youth up to fight for the for the rights that we take for granted today. It's a happy day for me and I am sure the rest of my Catalan family. Watch out for the seduction of the far right.

Do you live in Spain?

Perhaps read Victoria Hislop, The Return- as she teaches so much about history as part of great novels.

I’ve not spent enough time here in Spain for long enough or have learned enough Spanish in the last six years to form an opinion or to spout on the rights and wrongs of past events to form an opinion current events.

I have so many neighbours with different views that I nod respectfully and acknowledge my ignorance on the subject .

I was 12y when we had a holiday in Spain in 1965. My sister and I went with my parents to Sitges. (Now a popular gay resort, like Torremolinos). Franco would have still been in power.

Beach regulations at the time were very strict. NO beachwear off the beach - we had to make sure we were modestly covered when we came up from it. No bare torsos for men and skimpy bikinis for women allowed when strolling about! Actually upon reflection not a bad thing!

I have ‘Ghosts of Spain’ by Giles Tremlett on my bookcase out here Gaunt it’s a very informative read. He has lived out here (in Madrid) for over 20y and used to write for the Guardian as a correspondent.

I didn't see that jura, perhaps they will repeat it at some time.

Does anyone remember Portillo going to visit his uncle in Spain. He fought for Franco, and Portillo's dad died fighting against him. Very moving and never saw Portillo with the same eyes again.

The repression that Franco practised on the Catalans was horrendous. I once met a young man called Joan this is apparently a very old Catalan man's name which Franco banned. Boys had to be callled Juan. When Franco died oe of the first thngs the young man's dad did was to legally change his name to Joan.

The flamenco connection is closely linked to the awful treatment of Gipsies by Franco. If you visit Grenada, Hislop's book is really interesting- although out of all of them- this is the one I found less weel written and the 'plot' too predictable- but the history fascinating. Anyone going to the Alambra will see the hill with the troglodyte caves where the gipsies used to live, and now taken over by 'new age travellers'.

Back in 1970 we stayed in a hotel in Spain near Calella and noticed there was a large armed presence around one of the nearby villas. It seemingly was the home of Franco's daughter. Didn't know much about the history of the Spanish Civil War back then apart from the fact that many Scottish men travelled to Spain to fight against him.

Franco and flamenco - some combination ! I’ll add her to my Christmas present wish list. Thanks

Pantglas
As you say ^ it's just a matter of taste^ I found The Island one of the saddest books I've read.

Suziewoozie
I love all her books. I loved this one as it combined the history of the Franco repression and flamenco, which I love.

I have long found Spain a fascinating country too. 'Ghosts of Spain' by Giles Tremlett, published in 2006, and 'The New Spaniards' by John Hooper published in 1986 are both good reads. Both explain the tragic civil war, and much else.

I read The Island just after I'd visited Spinalonga and I must say found it very poignant.

Perhaps I will 'give that one a go' as I realise that I know little about the Spanish Civil War apart from reading the media reports published after he died.

Interesting historical perspectives obviously but a little too contrived and overly long storyline IMO but I have a friend who loves her books so it’s just a matter of taste. Give it a go!

I thought from the title is what about La Retirada but see now it’s about the Civil War in general. * Pant* could you say why a bit more ?

I’m not a fan, having also read her book about Spinalonga and the leper colony off Crete, titled The Island.

petra is VH’s book worth a read?

I’m glad this thread has been resurrected - I think it’s such an important part of European history ( and not that long ago) it’s not possible imo to understand Barcelona and the whole Catalan debate without knowing something of this evil man and what he did. It’s said that when he died, Barcelona drank itself dry. When I heard the news, I was glad that at least Spain could start to move on and enjoy freedom ( and also glad that I could now go on holiday there).

A few years ago I had a holiday in Ceret very near the Spanish border and visited the mountainous areas where the Spanish refugees fled to France ( la Retirada) in the winter of 1939. I also visited the now golden sun kissed beaches where then some of those refugees ( mostly women and children) were interned in makeshift tents in freezing conditions ( later to be joined by Jewish refugees)

The French in general were truly unwelcoming and it was another period of French history swept under the carpet which is only now being acknowledged. I visited La Maternite Suisse in Elne which was where a doughty Swiss woman set up a maternity unit for some refugees to give birth ( the maternal and baby mortality rate on the beaches was dreadful). On reading some of the individual testimonies, I literally burst into tears.

On one of journeys through Spain we stopped to look at it as I was reading Victoria Hislops book, The Return.

I agree with what some have said, it's 'still there' particularly in the older population.

I started reading about Franco when I first started to support the charity, Plan, as they came about because of the atrocities under Franco.

Yes suziewoozie that is a source of distress for one of my elderly neighbours - she doesn’t know where her brother’s body is.

The other thing that still hurts is that so many of his victims are in unmarked graves.

Sorry Pant missed your point on that

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46048514

This is a.good explanation - note particularly that the far right gathered there

Thanks, Pantglas.

He was hardly one of 'The Fallen', was he? Lived to a ripe old age and died of natural causes...

Does the 'Valley' contain the 'fallen' of both sides?