Eduardo Manzano, España diversa. Claves de una historia plural [Diverse Spain: keys to a plural history], 2024, 548 p.
The publisher’s English summary:
A book to understand the essential aspects of diversity in Spain’s history.
In Diverse Spain, Eduardo Manzano Moreno challenges the traditional account of Spanish history, exploring centuries of social, political, cultural and religious diversity that have shaped the country. From the Reconquest to the conquest of America, he examines the influence of the composite monarchy, Bourbon unification and the contradictions of the liberal state. He also addresses the violence that occurred during Franco’s regime and the Transition. This book provides essential insight to understand linguistic diversity, the legacy of al-Andalus and Sepharad, as well as historical paradoxes. With his agile style, Manzano Moreno offers a brilliant and erudite interpretation that challenges traditional views, highlighting the cultural and social legacy that shapes Spain’s present.
Nicolás Sesma, Ni una, ni grande, ni libre. La dictadura franquista [Spain: neither united, nor great, nor free], 2024, 760 p.
The publisher’s English summary:
The story of Franco’s dictatorship, written by and for a new generation.
No political phenomenon has impacted the course of recent history quite so heavily as that of the dictatorship. Spain: Neither United nor Great, nor Free is the first book to offer a full and up-to-date retelling of the Francoist regime which aims to engage the generations that lived through it, as well as readers seeking to rediscover and better understand those critical decades.
Nicolás Sesma’s ground-breaking new history of the dictatorship marks a departure from narratives that focus solely on Francisco Franco and instead puts the Spanish public at front and centre of his research. By collating historiographical references from Spain and abroad, he offers an ambitious and multidimensional reinterpretation of events. To achieve this, Sesma incorporates the perspectives of people from across Spanish territory and from all sectors of society, some of whom are given a chance to contribute their voice to the recording of history for the very first time.
Along the way, his analysis is accompanied by cultural references – from literature and cinema to graphic novels and pop art – which serve to illustrate this fascinating new study of the dictatorship, framed within an international research context.
The reviewer’s verdict: “And, at least one time, this volume corresponds to the valuation with which it is announced. As Julián Casanova, Chair of Contemporary History at Zaragoza University, maintains: ‘Franco’s dictatorship for a new generation. A history told with rigor, fluency and an impressive mastery of the sources’.”
Just one generation ago, the best books on Spanish history were written by British and American scholars. Now Spaniards are writing them themselves. The second volume seems especially attractive as the author writes for readers who never experienced the Franco dictatorship themselves. Your blogger’s impression is that Spanish high-school students today learn hardly anything on this still controversial subject, as prehistory, the Greeks and the Romans, etc. take up most of the time of the scarce history lessons. Considering what one is expected to pay for rather slim novels these days, both of these books are very good value for money. On the other hand, their sheer volume might make it unlikely that they will be ever translated.
SOURCE: Manzano Moreno author interview by Ángeles Caballero in “Babelia,” El País, 4 May 2024, pp. 8-9 [printed edition]; Crítica [Planeta, publisher]; Sesma review by Joan Esculies, “Cultura/s,” La Vanguardia, 11 May 2024, p. 6 [printed edition]; Crítica [Planeta, publisher]
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