Volume 5, Number 12 · January 20, 1966
The Spanish Tragedy
By Raymond Carr
Spain, the Gentle Anarchy
by Benjamin Welles
Praeger, 373 pp., $7.95
The Siege of the Alcazar
by Cecil D. Eby
Random House, 239 pp., $4.95
The experienced reader might mistakenly drop Mr. Welles's book after savoring a few sentences; as an enthusiast for Spain he often affects the picturesque writing which has become the stock-in-trade of the afiçionado. 'Yet there is also a Spain of noise, of rhythm, song, hand clapping, heels drumming hard on wooden floors: the Spain of flamenco.' Seville (oh God, not again!) where 'hot blood and holy austerity wrestle for supremacy.' But the sentence skimmer would be wrong. In spite of minor innaccuracies and overpowering enthusiasms, this is a useful and interesting book on a subject in which useful and interesting books do not abound. It achieves its aim: to provide a badly needed guide to the politics of modern Spain. The writer spent six years as New York Times correspondent in Madrid; it is very much a journalist's book.
Review, 1865 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |