Hemingway's second war: bearing witness to the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

In 1937 and 1938, Ernest made four trips to Spain to cover its civil war for the North American News Alliance wire service and to help create the pro-Republican documentary film The Spanish s Second is the first book-length scholarly work devoted to this subject. Drawing on primary sources, Alex Vernon provides a thorough account of s involvement in the Spanish Civil War, a messy, complicated, brutal precursor to World War II that inspired s great novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Vernon also offers the most sustained history and consideration to date of The Spanish Earth. Directed by Joris Ivens, this film was a landmark work in the development of war documentaries, for which served as screenwriter and narrator. Contributing factual, textual, and contextual information to studies in general and his participation in the war specifically, Vernon has written a critical biography for s experiences during the Spanish Civil War that includes discussion of the left-wing politics of the era and the execution of Jose Robles Pazos. Finally, the book provides readings ofFor Whom the Bell Tollsboth in historical context and on its own terms. Marked by both impressive breadth and accessibility, Hemingway s Second will be an indispensible resource for students of literature, film, journalism, and European history and a landmark work for readers of Ernest Hemingway.