Sad to announce that Marina Ginestà, the woman in the iconic photograph by Hans Guttman of the Colón Hotel in July 1936, died last week in Paris aged 94. I would have loved to have met her. La Vanguardia.com
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Spanish resistance fighter to General de Gaulle
Spanish resistance fighter to General de Gaulle, when asked how long he had been in the Resistance, ‘With all respect, General, before you.’
Quoted in From Love And War In The Pyrenees: A Story Of Courage, Fear And Hope, 1939-1944 by Rosemary Bailey. Via Richard Baxell
English-Spanish Grammar
English-Spanish Grammar. Compiled and edited by “The Volunteer for Liberty Organ” of the International Brigades. Barcelona, 1938.
Alan Warren noted:
On March 3rd 1938, John Tisa discussed the forthcoming publication of this booklet with Robert Merriman near Teruel. ” About the grammar, I told him the printing costs would be a little over 4,000 pesetas for 2,000 copies; it would be in paperback, simplified, and dedicated solely to help our men pick up Spanish rapidly. He gave the go-ahead and even suggested to the staff that it would be sold for 5 pesetas to replenish the brigade treasury. Someone said that if we dont sell all 2,000, “We’ll ship the rest back home after the war.” José Maria Sastre expressed doubts about the value of the grammar. He said we’d probably end up eating the book. Gates: “At least we will have digested some Spanish.” (“Recallng the Good Fight” by John Tisa, 1985. p. 129). There are some great phrases in the book!
Pete Seeger live in Barcelona
Great version of Viva la Quince Brigada by Pete Seeger some years ago live in Barcelona.