Health Warning: This is not a tweet-length post. It may be better absorbed with your feet up, a chocolate digie and a cup of Ovaltine in your hand. Or if you prefer, go to the bottom of the post and you'll see a link to the audio version you can download. Either way, Go Slow and expect only the unexpected. READ MORE...
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In book 2 of the Forgotten Stories from Spain, we look at George Orwell and his contribution to our understanding of the state and how the past can be manipulated in order to determine both the present and the future. Now, before you run off thinking this has nothing to do with Spain, stop! Because you would be wrong, as it was in Spain that Orwell first began to witness these ideas in action.
George Orwell and Accountability
Tony Benn once recommended that we should ask our leaders 5 Important Questions:
Now, it strikes me that where I to sit, there are few countries in the world that could offer a positive response to any of these questions.
But things were not always like this. Once upon a time - for a fleeting moment in history - Spain enjoyed a flourishing democracy unlike anything the world had seen before, but it lasted just a few months. One man, however, witnessed that moment and wrote down the lessons he learnt in 3 majorly important books:
It's an Orwell Feast!
1984 and the Spanish Civil War is the second book in the Forgotten Stories From Spain trilogy, the first being the Ambulance Man and the Spanish Civil War (2nd Edition), and the final book: The Bank Robber and the Spanish Civil War - due out at the end of next year.
The Forgotten Stories series looks at particular moments during the civil war, and explores their relevance back then, and now. If you want to read the full story, grab both the audio and ebook here. If you want to learn an anarchist phrase or two: read the section below. Anarchic Sentences to slip into the conversation:
Posters to Collect and Swap!
Some of the images below can be found in the new book: 1984 and the Spanish Civil War. But not all...
Felipe and Che Guevara's Notebooks He remains, with Garcia Lorca, one of most well remembered poets of the generation of 27 It is said that several of Felipe's poems were found in the notebook of Che Guevara's when he was finally captured by the Bolivian Army and the CIA. Want mOre stories on Characters From the Spanish civil war? Read about the Ambulance Man, the Spy and the Exodus below.
What does the name Orson Welles conjure up to you? The voice behind War of the Worlds? The voice behind Findus Peas? Or the creative genius of Citizen Kane? Well how about this...think not Orson Welles but Awesome Well - for thats where the great man ended up: lobbed down a well on the outskirts of Ronda in Andalusia. This is the story of how the best film director of all time (British Film Institute) - a man remembered for his love of wine, food, beards and cigars - built a relationship with Spain that spread over the course of his entire life. Hemingway and "The Spanish Earth"Some say it all began when Orson arrived at the age of 17 in Seville and fell in love with the city, the romance and the bulls. Others say it happened at a later stage, when asked by Hemingway to narrate the classic film in support of the Spanish Republic: The Spanish Earth. Orson was chosen to narrate the film because he had become the voice of his times. He could convince you that the Earth was being invaded by Martians, or that Carlsberg is "Probably the best lager in the world" or that frozen peas were something to salivate over in the supermarket. But such a voice can be too good, as he was to discover later in life. Hemingway, came to a similar conclusion and ended up narrating another version of the film, saying Welles was too dramatic and his voice shifted the focus away from the real issues underlying the film. Whatever the true reason, Orson's love affair with the country had begun and wouldn't end until his body would be tossed down a well in the deep south of Spain. Around the World with Orson and Paola MoriPerhaps..."Getting things done are more important than living a certain way, being a certain thing. " In 1955, Welles married Italian actress Paola Mori, a woman he would share not just his living quarters near Madrid, but later his well-shaped tomb in Ronda. The same year as the marriage, a British Rediffusion TV project proposed that Welles travel to different European locations, exploring and commenting on the culture and peoples of each place. Called: "Around the World" Welles set off to the Basque country for one episode. In this fascinating insight into the land during the 1950's Welles narrates, contemplates and ponders on culture, quality of life, pace, progress, technology and fiestas. The Around the World Series was not a great success, eventually it would be cut back from its original number of episodes to just 6. But it consolidated Orson's connection to the region, and to Spain in general that would stay with him until his next grand project about the Iberian peninsula: Don Quijote. Filming in Spain 1: Don Quijote Goes to the Moon
Filming in Spain 2: Treasure Island and Chimes at MidnightIn 1964, he began to work with film producer Emiliano Piedra who had wanted to collaborate with Welles on a version of Treasure Island to be shot in Alicante. Welles agreed in order to get Piedra to work with him on Chimes at Midnight - his classic Shakspearian compilation. Although he had no real intention of shooting the Treaure Island film, he did write two screenplays in the 1960s, eventually forming the basis of the 1972 film in which Welles played Long John Silver (Shiver mi' timbers laddie) Welles and Piedra filmed Chimes at Midnight (7.9 IMDB) in Colmenar, then Madrid, Pedraza, Soria and parts of the Basque country. - eventually completing the film in 1966. Like so many of us today, Welles was man who would start a thousand projects, but complete only so many. Projects would last decades and whilst they dragged on, he would start others, such as this story about the world of the bullfight. Watch this incredible bit of Wellesian propoganda as he pushes for funding about what appears to be an autobiographical piece, introducing the ideas of Reality TV that would come back and haunt us in the 21st century. Towards the end of his life, permanently broad-hatted and with a cigar clenched Clint-Eastwood-style between his beardy-lips, Welles spent more and more time in Spain, pursuing his passion for food, drink and life as well as his fascination for la corrida. An Awesome Well in Ronda On October 10, 1985 George Orson Welles died from a heart attack on the same day as Yul Brynner and the same week as Rock Hudson died. Hollywood pondered on the synchronicity and mourned the loss of such giants. Despite having wished his body to be buried in one of the small villages that appeared in Chimes at Midnight, Welles' body was instead cremated and two years later, the remains of both Welles and Paola Mori were dropped down a well on a small finca on the outskirts of Ronda - a patch of earth owned by an old bullfighting friend - Antonio Ordóñez. Adios Don OrsonAsk not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. Welles was a creative machine: He filmed 13 full length films, 14 short films, 7 TV series and worked on 14 unfinished films. He starred, wrote or produced over a 130 productions in all and 100's of radio programs. Some argue that a man such as Orson, a man with big appetite and a curiosity for life would never be content in the USA. He would need to stretch himself into other cultures and into other lifestyles. Of all the countries in Europe, Spain was the one that unaccountably tugged at his heart. Awesome OrsonIn the final conclusion of his visit to the Basque Country in Around the World, Welles looks starrily into the sky during a firework fiesta on the streets of the town. Then slowly he looks back at the camera and says: "Here in the Basque country people do not end their stories with 'and so they lived happily ever after'. Instead they say 'And if they lived well, they died well.'" Welles looks mournfully back up to the sky and in his face you see the desire to do so too. Did he live well? He most certainly did. Did he die well? Not exactly, but he did end up in a well. And in Spain. Maybe that counts for something. In Search of OrsonIn 2005 Kristian Petri made a short documentary called The Well, in which he travels through Spain looking for the legacy of the large bearded one. Unfortunately, the very day I posted this article the video was removed from Youtube. It may return. let me know if it does. Its worth watching. "What's happening now is what happened before, and often what's going to happen again sometime or other” Orson and the PeasWatch this great animated short of out-takes on Welles reading for the Findus Peas advert. Hilarious, charismatic and obstinate, Welles was off-screen as difficult as on screen. If the Link “We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.” Discover the rarer stories from Spain - artists, fighters, medics, travellers, anarchists and car designers in this great series of articles, PDF's, novels, audio-books and videos from the gazpachomonk - exclusive to Speaking of Spain.
This Week Only: The Latest Free eBook from the mOnk.
75 pages of glorious original photography and crafted text. The package comes in one handy zipped file containing both - PDF: Good for laptops, tablets and desktops. ePub: Best for iPad, other tablets and ebook readers.
The Outbreak of the Civil War From The Wife of Gerald Brenan
PICASSO FACT 1: WHY DID PICASSO ADOPT AN ITALIAN NAME?
PICASSO FACT 2: WHAT WAS THE TRUE HEIGHT OF PICASSO?
1: His choice of clothes. Wearing a horizontally - as opposed to a vertically - striped shirt in public may have been Picasso's way of stating his political organisational preferences (see articles on Anarchism) but, such clothing design was never going to help counter the reputation for being a tad pequeño (small). 2: Average Heights in Spain. We must also take into account the era in which Picasso lived. In the Spain of the 1880's and in particular 19th century Andalusia - 5ft 4" was not only a healthy and impressive stature, but one that would have invited the nickname of "lofty" from his barrio buddies. PICASSO FACT 3: WAS HE A GREAT MEDITERRANEAN LOVER?Picasso did his best to reinforce the Mediterranean latin lover stereotype - by betraying the love and dedication of all the women he would encounter. But who could resist those crazy eyes, that greasy hair (in his earlier days), that stripy long sleeve or that impressive stature of a man. His reputation lives on, and has been immortalised not just by word of mouth, but by video too. Watch the video below: PICASSO FACT 4: WAS PICASSO THE MOST PRODUCTIVE SPANISH PAINTER EVER?
PICASSO FACT 5: WHAT DID PICASSO SAY ABOUT ART AND THEFT?
MORE ON ARTISTS AND SPAIN
So now you know: Go forth and proudly reproduce (the free poster) - wear it with a stripy pride on your smartphone, your tablet or perhaps more humorously, paste it to the back of your residency papers and next time the Guardia Stop ask you to pass over your documents for drunk driving, nonchalantly slip it alongside the 50 euros that customarily accompanies such pleasantries. You'd be surprised what a simple poster of Spain's most treasured son can still achieve. Did Laurie Lee Lie? Discover wha the great travel writer said and write about the South of Spain in this audio investigation in his books Find out more here and listen to the audio What Was Orson Wells Love Affair with Spain? Read the inside information about Orson's long term relationship with the country and why, he ended up down a well. Find out more here
"The town of Almuñecar, in recognition to the great writer Laurie lee, that lived in our town (1935-36) (1951 - 52) and immortalised it under the name of Castillo." Part 1 of a 2-Part Investigation in Lee and "Castillo"Was it fate that had brought me here? Was I destined to carry out the investigations I had started so long ago? There was 3 facts that persuaded me to begin this quest: 3 facts that - for me - had always raised doubts over his accounts of what happened…
I wanted to know why so many English Writers - seemingly effortlessly - to acquire a linguistic fluency (particularly in the indecipherable province of Granada) after just a few weeks strolling the back roads of Spain, and how wherever they set foot, they were warmly embraced, welcomed and then sobbed over as they strolled on, just three days after arrival. My understanding of the complexities of the subjunctive meant I would forever raise a eyebrow when writers engage in back-room shouting matches over politics and war. And my raised eyebrow was beginning to ache. So, armed with these facts, a few crazed questions in my mind and a battered copy of Lee’s work… I too walked out "One Midsummer Morning" back in 1998, and went looking for answers.
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