Guernica

[Mac]

First there was the barbarous atrocity, the first of many. Many.

Then there was the painting by Picasso. I have seen it, in the Reina
Sofia museum in Madrid. But now I feel I must take another look.

And now there is the book. Dave Boling's 'Guernica' is of course not
the first book about Guernica, but it's the first historical novel
I've come across. The author is American, with a Basque wife and
therefore of course family, and he has done considerable research,
which lies lightly. It seems to this total outsider that he has got
as close to the subject as any ousider can. My edition has obviously
been anglicised, and very well too, so removing much of the criticism
(see the Amazon reviews) of too many Americanisms jarring with the
story.

The story of two Basque families between the years 1890 and 1940, it
is of course not your usual family saga. To the reader, a black cloud
hangs over the narrative even when all is joy and light, until it
finally rains down its death, destruction and suffering on April 26th
1937. To tell the truth, several times I had to put the book down,
not through any faults, but because it was too affecting.

Several historical figures make appearances, including of course
Picasso, and José Antonio Aguirre, the Basque 'president', but really
the story is about the tearing apart of these families by the vile
bombing and their partial, painful and slow recontruction afterwards.

Certainly the best novel about Spain I have read for several years.

Mac