Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past

What comes to your mind when you think of Spain? Does it remind you of a place where you can spend your holidays? I have never been to Spain. Judging by the postcards, movies and the excitement on the faces of my friends, I expected Spain to be an ideal place to spend your holidays. But little did I know Spain has more layers to it besides being a place for fun and frolic. It is also a place which is struggling to come to terms with it's ghosts.Less than 40 years after the death of the Generalissimo, Francisco Franco, the people are still divided on what Spain went through during his reign. A lot of modernization happened under Franco. On the other hand, there was also a lot of brutality. Ironically, it was also a time when brother turned against brother or neighbour against neighbour. Even after all these years, Spain is still deeply divided on this subject and is reluctant in exorcising the demons. Modern Spain is trying to forget the past. At the same time, it is also trying to capitalize on the tourism. The tourism which has boosted construction has also ushered in corruption. At the same time, there are lone wolves who stand up against the tide. If this is not enough, nationalism is creating a division in the map of Spain. The Basques refuses to be Spanish. Similarly, Barcelona is not Spanish if you take the language and culture into consideration.Having spent a considerable time in Spain, Giles Tremlett shows us a side of Spain which we have not seen. In order to paint this picture of Spain, he not only draws from the experience of living in the country for so many years but also the networks he has created in the country. He goes to different parts of the country, conducts interviews and uses this as the basis for telling us about the struggles of Spain. This technique serves in telling the facts like in an investigation in a very interesting way. This is the book to read if you are armchair traveller or if you plan to visit the country. Visiting places can help you take photographs. Knowing the people will help you tell a much more interesting story using the photographs. It will also help you understand and appreciate the locals you meet.

Nice follow up after reading the classic Iberia by James Michener. Brings the reader up to date on life in modern Spain which is still haunted by ghosts of its civil war and the battle between tradition and modernism. La Transicion, or Spain's transition to democracy is something that is occuring both historically, politically, and personally as Spain enters a more globalized, connected world. Tremlett describes this "transicion" from all perspectives, but it is his personal perspective, as an ex-pat Brit raising his family in Spain, which I found particularly enjoyable. His descriptions of day to day life juxtaposed into chapters dealing with deeper historical and political events, such as the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the legacy of Franco, the Basque separatist movement, the pride of Catalans, and the 2004 Islamic bombings, makes this book very readable and pertitent to truly understanding not only the country but its people, and their remarkable history.

I read this book about 3 months before a month long trip to Spain with my family (wife and three children -- 14, 11 & 8). I was surprised by two reviews claiming the author repetitive and a leftist sympathizer. I believe neither are the case or on the latter, certainly not evident by the treatment of the subject of the Civil War and its aftermath & repercussions. While not a travelogue, Tremlett does a nice job of covering all regions of Spain through a cultural, political, social and religious lens in a way that is eminently readable and entertaining. Some of the subject matter, particularly the building boom given the control of communities by local mayors, is highly topical given the subsequent collapse of the Spanish economy.While I'm not a deep Spanish historian, I believe Tremlett provides a well-rounded take on the Civil War, the rule of Franco and separatist causes in the Basque and Catalan regions of Spain. When choosing this book, I did not expect and wasn't looking for a historians view of the Spanish Civil War or Franco's regime, I purchased other books to provide that perspective. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone traveling to Spain or interested in a broad overview of modern Spain.

I'm a lover of history, and I love Spain. Very interesting book, focusing on the Franco years, but also the growing pains of the country afterwards. Great section on Flamenco, learned a lot, not what I thought Flamenco was. More in common with the Blues here in the states. This book also focuses on the other movements around Spain. It's scary how much similarities you are seeing between the U.S. now and Spain's past, including our current Autocracy, but the Ultra-Left (socialist) response. In Spain, blood was shed on each side, much being the war, but more misinterpretations of innocents. Hopefully we do not get to this point, but we never learn from our own past, or much older countries past. We are the teenagers in the worlds history, time to grow up and learn from our elders mistakes.

Buen libro

I love Spain and have spent quite some time travelling through it. I now realise how little I knew about the country. An excellent book.

This is an excellent book about a very sensitive topic, and considering how reluctant the Spaniards are to even talk about the civil war, the author did an amazing job of researching the subject. It is well written and it's one of those books you hate to finish.

Ein Buch, das ich immer zur Hand habe. Ich habe es noch nicht ganz durch, kann aber als gute Kennerin dieses so ungeheuer vielschichtige Land sagen, dass Giles Tremlett hier ein wunderbares Buch gelungen ist, vielleicht das beste überhaupt. Erstaunlich ist, dass er als Engländer die erforderliche Einfühlsamkeit aufweist, die man beim Verständnis dieses Landes und seiner Bevölkerung und der entsprechenden Sprachen braucht. Ich kenne kein ähnliches Werk von einem spanischen Autor.

A beautiful and well informed author asking challenging questions but who definitely love this beautiful and generous country. Spain is a complex country but with a unique charm